Silent Hill Babysitting Squad Saga
by NetherStray
Summary: Red Pyramid Thing and the Bogeyman end up having the ultimate "knife" measuring contest. Truly this is a battle of the titans. Rated for language and themes.
1. Ch 1  The First Chapter

"Okay, listen up, you pointy-headed freaks." Valtiel looked from Red Pyramid Thing to the Bogeyman, clasping his hands on his lap. "The trucker's gone, but that manifestation of Alessa is still running around here. Go find the little brat for me."

"Why can't you do it?" Red tilted his aptly-named head.

"I could ask you the same question. Why can't _you_ do it?"

Red scratched under his helmet's rim. "I have stuff to do."

"Like hell you do. Get to it, you two. You've done nothing but sit around for both of your existences."

"That's not true," Red argued. "I was really busy for a while there. My schedule's already filling up."

"No, it's not," Valtiel replied flatly. "James isn't your problem anymore. You already skimped out on that responsibility. Don't pretend you didn't. Faking your own death and everything..." Red grumbled in irritation. "And you." He turned his twitchy attention to Bogeyman. "What the hell, you only killed the one guy? You barely got your knife dirty. Ever since then, you've just wandered around the Otherworld. Get lost, both of you."

The two trudged out of Nowhere, stopping outside the chapel door. Bogeyman sighed heavily. "…How are we supposed to do this?"

Red shrugged. "Guess we'll figure something out." Red tossed his spear to himself, snatching it out of the air. "How hard could it be? We'll just corner her or something. Easy catch."

"God, you really are clueless, aren't you…" Bogey gripped his knife tightly. "Alright. Let's get this over with."

"At least I'm original."

Bogey stopped mid step, turning slowly to Red. "What… the hell… did you just say?"

Red shrugged, folding his arms. "I think you heard me well enough."

The Bogeyman stared at Red for a long moment.

"…God I _hate_ you."

The pair wandered the wasteland that is Silent Hill, trudging along at their typical, slow amble. As they passed in and out of the Otherworld, Bogey looked to Red. "You're glowing, y'know."

"Yep."

"Why do you glow?"

Red looked up at the taller monster. "You first."

Bogey nodded. "Blood is red, so I glow red."

"Is it so you can compensate for hardly spilling any?"

"I split that asshole in half."

"I can do that. All it takes is a hard swing."

"I did it from bottom to top." Red walked along silently for a moment. Bogey spoke up. "So what about you?"

"Red's my name, red glow's my game, right? Heh…"

"Quit being emasculated and answer the question."

Red sighed. "I dunno why the color is specific. I guess it's just because I'm that much of a badass. But uh… I glow whenever it's dark."

"No reason?"

"Oh." Red shifted his grip on his spear. "There's a reason, alright…"

"What is it?"

"Well. Y'know what they say… When the lights are down, it's time to _get_ down." He elbowed Bogey a few times. "Eh? Eh?"

"Gay."

"What?"

Bogey lifted a hand, shoving Red away. "I don't swing that way."

"Alright, fucker, that's how you want to be about it?" Red grabbed the point of Bogey's helmet, yanking him to face him. "Then here's what's gonna happen. You and me, we're going to make this stupid errand into a race. Whoever brings her to Valtiel first is the one who definitely isn't gay."

Bogey grunted. "Deal." With that, the two parted ways, heading in opposite directions on the foggy streets.


	2. Ch 2  You're it

"Fucking gay prick." Red stomped along the street, looking every which way. "He'll see. He'll see what he gets" He paused to look around a moment, heading off down another street. "I mean, fuck, come on. I'm the one who can actually catch the stupid things." Oh, Maria. She was always such a happy memory to think of. She screamed pretty loud. "Seriously, I could've had James' ass any time I wanted. Any fuckin' time!" A flash of dark blue caught his attention, spurring him to set off at a run. "GET OVER HERE! MY MASCULINITY IS AT STAKE!"

The girl was quick and clever, darting every which way. Red hurried to keep up, still too far to even see the details of her face. Finally, he herded her into an alley, stopping at the opposite end from her. "Nowhere to go now…" She backed up against the wall, watching him with fear in her eyes. As Red sauntered closer, she began to pout. "Don't give me that look. C'mon. Get over here." She shook her head quickly. "Come _here_." Alessa darted to the side, zipping around Red. He sighed, turning to follow. She was long gone already, though. He scratched his helmet, uncertain of what to do next.

* * *

><p>Bogey's knife dragged with a constant screech along the pavement, sending vibrations through the air. He sighed heavily, trudging along. "Who the hell cares…" Dropping his knife with a loud clatter, he in turn dropped to the pavement, his legs folded and his elbows resting on his knees. "Don't even care. Why can't I just go back to Shepherd's Glen?" He rested his head on the heels of his hands, sighing. At least the fog was the same. Same basic environment, too. Still, the Glen had that home town feel to it.<p>

A finger lightly tapped his shoulder. "What, can't do it by yourself?" The finger tapped again. "Go ahead and catch her, Red. I'm not in the mood…" The sound of giggling prompted him to turn his head. There, standing plain as day, was Alessa. Well, her manifestation, at least. Alessa was dead and had been for years. Still, she had lingered on. "…Seriously? What do you want?"

She slapped his shoulder. "You're it." With that, she ran off a ways, standing on the street corner. She leaned against a light pole, watching him curiously as though goading him to chase her.

"Gotta be kidding me." Bogey pushed himself up from the pavement, pulling his knife along as he struggled towards her. Alessa giggled, watching him strain with the knife's weight.

"Bogeyman!" She bounced around on her toes. "Can't chase me, Bogeyman, 'cause Bogeyman's too slow!" Bogey grunted in irritation, doing his best to try and speed up. "Bogey Bogey Bogeyman!" Bogey pushed on faster, nearing the curb. "Bogey Bogey Bogey!" As he reached out for her, she skipped back, causing his foot to catch in the storm drain. With a slap and a clank, he fell to the sidewalk, drawing raucous laughter out of Alessa.

He curled his free hand into a fist, smacking the concrete. "When the hell did you get so chipper…" Alessa's feet continued to bounce around, just out of reach, still repeating his name in her singsong voice. Bogey groaned. "Goddamnit, I don't care anymore. Go run the hell away or whatever you're gonna do."

"No!" She stepped around behind him, sitting on his back. "Why do you glow red? Is it because you like red?"

"Sure, why not…"

"I like blue!"

"Good for you."

"I know! I love blue! I have some blue butterflies. Wanna see them?"

"No."

"Aww, why not?"

Bogey groaned deeply, pressing his head to the pavement. Silent Hill definitely was hell.


	3. Ch 3  What Has Not Been Seen

"Get up, Bogeyman! You're it!"

"Yeah, well, I'm technically touching you. You're it now instead." He shifted uncomfortably, his stomach pinched between her weight and the curb.

"And now you're it!" She smacked his shoulder.

"You're it."

"You're it!" She giggled.

Bogey sighed. "Okay, come on, get off."

"Fuck!" Red charged in from the fog, reaching for Alessa. The girl leapt off of Bogey's back, Red in hot pursuit, his harsh footfall landing on the unfortunate pyramid's back. "Get back here, you little bitch!"

Bogey laid there for a moment, stewing in irritation. "That does it." He pushed himself up, leaving his knife behind as he set off at a run, quickly catching up to Red. "C'mere!" Managing a tight grip on Red's helmet, Bogey stopped suddenly in his tracks, effectively clotheslining Red to the ground. Alessa stopped yards ahead, watching as Bogey began kicking Red repeatedly in the ribs. "Call me unoriginal now, you fucking whore!"

Red rolled away, scrambling to his feet. He backed up a few steps, arms raised in preparation after having dropped his spear. "Fuck off, at least I get girls outside the internet!"

Bogey's body began to glow a fierce red, his fists clenching. "Yeah, where's your mannequins now? James is gone, isn't he? What's tiding you over? Find a hole in a tree somewhere?"

"THAT'S SICK!" Red lunged forward, aiming a fist to the underside of Bogey's helm, sending the man's head back, his neck crunching on itself. Bogey stumbled back, regaining himself quickly and grabbing his helmet. He gave it a shove, adjusting it back into place.

"So that's where all the butter went, didn't it? I wanted some for my toast, but no, you had to use it to lube up your fuck buddy the tree!"

"AAAAAAAHHH!" Red charged forward, his hands wrapping around Bogey's neck, tightening and shaking him roughly. While the two busied themselves with attempting to strangle each other, Valtiel strolled along the street, spotting the fight from a short distance away. He sighed, looking to Alessa. Alessa backed up, hiding behind the warring pyramids.

Valtiel casually lifted a hand to his mouth area, clearing his throat. The two froze, looking over to him, hands still around each others' necks. "Gentlemen." The hands quickly left the necks, settling at the monsters' sides. "I believe I gave you a job." Red and Bogey muttered their respective "Yes sir"s, sighing. Red gave Bogey an elbow to his ribs. Bogey smacked Red upside his head. The two turned back to each other, roaring for lack of better words. Valtiel sighed. "Luckily for you two, I don't need the manifestation yet. Get her some other time. I'll tell you when." With that, he stalked off into the fog, leaving the two to stare at the place he once stood.

Alessa clasped her hands behind her back, looking up at the two monsters. "So we're not playing tag anymore?" The two looked down at her, trudging away. Alessa frowned, looking from one to the other. "Hey!"

Bogey bent down to pull his great knife off the pavement, stopping as Alessa stood in front of him, leaning in towards his head. "Where're you going?" Her nose pressed to the rusted metal of his helmet.

"…Away."

"To do what?"

He straightened up, turning. "Hell if I know."

Alessa frowned, scampering off to follow Red instead. "Hey! Wait!" Red stopped, looking back to her. "Where you going?"

Red growled, speaking loud. "Well, I GUESS I should go LUBE UP MY GODDAMN TREE."

Bogey waved as he shuffled away. "I'm glad you can be yourself, Red. You and your tree have a beautiful relationship." He waved his hand in a conductor's gesture. "And words can't bring you-u downnnn…"

Red stormed off, heading back to look for his spear. Alessa frowned, shaking her head. "You two!" She turned away from Red, chasing after Bogey. "Wait up!" She slowed to a trot as she caught up. "Shouldn't you two be friends? You're both triangle boys!"

"Pyramid Heads," Bogey corrected.

"Oh, no, no, NO. I'M a goddamn Pyramid Head." Red jabbed a finger at the fog. "You're some sissy little American cunt!"

"I sense some jealousy of my well-rendered model, Red."

"FUCK YOU I'M FROM THE NINETIES!"

"You're from 2001, dumbass."

Red stomped his foot. "Close enough! At least I had a meaningful story!"

"What's that? I can't hear you over the sound of my bump mapping and startling lack of gay slash fiction."

A deep growl left Red's helmet. "My pixels are sexy…" Red stormed after Bogey. "What, I'm supposed to have some control over them?"

"It's a matter of providing inspiration, Red. But aside from that, the least you could do is not jack off to them." Alessa giggled, having very little idea of what was going on. Bogey patted her head. "After all, that's what the tree is for."

"This from the guy who only got into a movie because his helmet was an easier shape to make." Red snarled, reaching out for the back of Bogey's helmet. "What's with the fucking dials on it anyways? Nothing, that's what!"

Bogey stopped, swinging his free arm back to try getting rid of Red. "Fuck off! Let go!" Red held on tight, though, giving the large dial a good half turn. Remarkably, the helmet fell off in two pieces, clattering to the ground. Alessa gasped, slapping her hands down over her mouth. Red stared at Bogey, frozen in place. Bogey calmly bent down, picking up the halves of his helmet and sandwiching them back onto his shoulders. "…Never speak of this again." The two nodded as they looked on, speechless. Bet you'd just _love_ to know what they saw.


	4. Ch 4  The Odd Couple

It wasn't so bad. Now that Red was gone, Bogey and Alessa were free to waltz about as they pleased. And waltz about they did. Alessa had a delightfully morbid sense of humor, something Bogey appreciated. The two had wandered near to Toluca Lake, peering out at the fog and glancing at the hands that occasionally reached up from the depths. It was times like this that Bogey forgot about the monsters he saw during the day and thought instead about his home. "Alessa?" The girl looked up at him from her crouch by the shoreline, tapping her chosen stick in the water. Bogey folded his arms. "Where d'you think Shepherd's Glen is from here?"

Alessa leaned her head back, looking skyward. "Ummm…" She waved her stick around, eventually pointing it to her right. "That way!"

"Heh. Think so?"

"I dunno." She shrugged. "What's so special about Shepherd's Glen?"

Bogey thought on that for a moment. What _was_ special about it? Why did he even think about it? Red never seemed to think of the concept of home. Neither did any of the other monsters. But maybe they were already home. It was one heck of a home, that was for sure. It had everything he could want. Everything except that one particular thing… "I'm not sure, really. This town just isn't quite where I want to be."

"Why don't you leave?"

"Can't."

"That's stupid."

"Heh. Yeah, it is." Bogey bent down, picking up a rock from the shoreline. "Watch this." Winding up, he pitched the rock into the lake, sending it a safe distance from the shore. As it neared the water, hundreds of arms and hands reached out, grasping for the rock, fighting over it as though it were a piece of meat. Alessa smiled wide, giggling happily. Bogey joined in, laughing heartily. "Pretty crazy, eh?"

Alessa hopped to her feet. "That was cool! So they all died there?"

"I think so, yeah." He scratched a bit at his chest under his helm. Bah, the irritation was always bad when he didn't hold his head up enough. "Always thought it would be cool to take a boat ride. Have you ever gone on one?"

"My GOD, are you two done developing your characters yet?" The two turned around, spotting Red strutting out from the woods, a cigarette stuck in his helmet's hole. "Christ, what is this, Hurt/Comfort?" He shook his head. "Come on. Get back to the jokes. Like Bogey's hellspawn of a video game."

"Red, shut the hell up. We were having a moment." He jabbed a finger at Red. "And at least mine made sense and wasn't some jumble of outdated Freud and Hollywood psychology."

"Watch it."

Red and Bogey stared each other down, their muscles tense and ready to go. Alessa looked up at the two of them. "…I like Origins!" The two pyramids slowly turned their heads to peer down at the girl. "…What?" She smiled. "I like Travis. He was a good sport!"

"But the ritual was supposed to happen in the basement!"

"But it was supposedly the 70's but Harry drives an 80's car!"

"But the weapons break after a few swings!"

"But there were gigantic enemies for no reason!"

Alessa's lower lip stuck out in a pout. "But Travis was nice!"

In unison, they shouted back. "HE WAS A HICK!"

"You guys are mean!"

"Seriously, he was as two dimensional as-"

"Alex!"

"James!"

The two pyramids turned back to each other, growling fiercely. Alessa sighed, shaking her head. "You two… You're going to be terrible parents!" Red and Bogey snapped their attention back to the girl.

"WHAT?"

She smiled innocently at them, bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet. "Well you can't just leave me alone, can you? I'm just a little girl!"

Bogey considered this for a moment. True, Valtiel had said that he needed her eventually. He nodded. "Fair enough." He offered her a hand.

Red considered this for a moment. True, she was just a little girl. How hard could it be to kill her if she started acting up? He nodded. "Right, right…" Red offered her his hand as well.

Alessa smiled brightly, taking their hands and swinging them with glee. "I have parents now!"

Red nodded. "Yeah… Wait, no, you just have dads. Or… Something."

Bogey shrugged. "You're the one wearing a dress, y'know."

"What about your skirt?"

"It's a _kilt_, Red."

"You don't sound Scottish to me."

Alessa giggled. "You two already sound like you're married!"


	5. Ch 5  Powder Your Pyramid

"I wanna go to school!"

Red snorted. "Never would've expected to hear that out of you."

"You don't need to go to school," Bogey said, giving Alessa a swing as she hung between his and Red's arms. It was a long walk to the school, but Alessa seemed intent on reaching it soon, dragging her two "dads" along with her. "Why would you want to go to school, anyways?"

"Well because. Other kids always liked school but I never had any fun there! I wanna have a fun day at school!"

"How would that happen, though?" Red sighed, shaking his head. "There aren't any kids for you to go to class with."

"I wanna be the principal!"

"But… The principal doesn't go to class."

Alessa shrugged, running forward again. Red and Bogey lifted her up and she swung into the air, her legs kicking. She squealed with delight, giggling afterward. "Maybe we'll find a map at the school." Bogey gave Alessa another swing, her feet pattering along before leaving the ground. "Maybe it'll show the way to Shepherd's Glen."

"Or maybe Ah'll tell you that et is off leemits right now."

Red stopped, sighing heavily. "Oh, god, not this guy…" Through the fog stumbled a man of monstrous physical build, of exceeding height, and of quite large metal, pointy head size. He folded his arms, his upper body flexing as he did so.

"We haf shooting to do today. None af you are geeting into ze school."

"Didn't you already get enough fanservice in the first movie?" Red muttered, looking away.

The movie star laughed merrily. "Zho, Red, I see you still haf a problem with my fame! Don't worry, Ah'm sure zhey remember you from ze game!" He stepped closer as though he were a friend of the group, smacking Red on his head. "Vhat game vas it ageen? Vhat year?"

"2001," Red mumbled, resettling his helmet. "You're welcome for your career, by the way."

"Haha! I haf learned well, yes, but I haf made my own name, no?" He stopped, turning away. "VINCENT! COME!" The sound of running feet rang out in the foggy air, a young, good-looking, yet normal looking man with curly black hair arriving at the macho pyramid's side.

He nodded and lifted a hand to the group, smiling. "Hey! Friends of yours, Pyramid Head?"

Red clenched his hand tightly, trembling. Bogey stared at the man-no, the _boy_-wearing dark slacks, a white, button-up shirt, and a black, unbuttoned vest. Red released Alessa's hand, stepping up to the boy. "How old are you?"

"Uh… In character? About the same age as Heather, the female lead." He blinked. "Why?"

"Where the hell are your glasses?" Bogey stepped forward next, leaning towards the actor.

He smiled nervously, letting out a chuckle. "Uh. Well, I don't think Vincent has glasses in this-"

Red drew a fist back, Bogey mimicking the motion. "PYRAMID… PUNCH!" Unleashing a burst of physical power in unison, the hapless actor flew back into the fog, screaming as he flew. After watching the actor fade away, Red and Bogey looked to each other with newfound respect, shaking hands like proper gentlemen.

Macho sighed, shaking his head. "So jealous, ze both of you. Hollywood is not that interesteeng. All et es es ze drugs and ze wimmin." Red whimpered. Macho waved a hand. "Ze point is zat zis is ze place for you two, no? Better for ze types you two are."

"This isn't where I want to be, though," Bogey declared. "This isn't my home."

"Imitation, what the hell are you talking about?"

Bogey smacked Red on the head before continuing. "I want to go to Shepherd's Glen. Any idea how to get there?"

Macho paused a moment, shrugging after it passed. "Meybe I can find out for you. Catering, they come from there, you see."

Bogey gasped. "Seriously? They are?" As Macho nodded in affirmation, Bogey scooped Alessa up into his arms, spinning about in a dizzying hug. "Yes! Oh, god, yes, I'll get to leave!" Alessa giggled, hugging him back. Macho strode off towards the school, gesturing for the group to follow. Bogey hurried along, allowing Alessa to ride on his shoulders. Red sighed, following as well.

The movie set was a busy sight to behold. Once again, the production team had decided to simply go on-location for their shoot, multiple trailers and vans parked outside Midwich Elementary School. Interns hurried about, many of them carrying drinks. Macho strode along through the crowded set, declining makeup now and then. Bogey followed close behind, anxious to learn anything he could about his desired town. Red trudged along behind for a while, stopping as he looked on towards the set. There, standing like an angel waiting for her calling, he saw a young girl. She looked to be about in her teens, wearing a familiar costume of a red-orange shirt and a white vest. Makeup had her dirtied up, her blond hair stringy and wild. Red swooned, his knees growing weak. "She's..." He gestured to her in disbelief, grasping for words. "She's... She's..."

"She's Heather?" an intern offered.

"Heck, she's a woman!" With that, Red charged at high speed towards the actress, arms stretched out before himself, ready to grab for her. "My darling! My lovely!"

The girl blinked at him, raising a brow. "Wait, did they add more to the script again?"

Red leapt into the air, poised to pounce upon her. "BEND OVER!" The girl screamed, setting off at a run. Red's tongue rolled out of his helmet's hole, flapping in the air as he chased the poor actress around the set.

"Sir!" Security rushed to the set from their trailer, their black uniforms dusted with a bit of Silent Hill's characteristic light grey dust. "Sir, don't make us do this!" As Red continued to ignore everything but the actress, the security personnel went into action, firing their taser rounds at him. His muscles seized, he fell to the ground, clanking loud and groaning in pain. The guards rushed over to him, quickly cuffing him and yanking him up from the ground. "Alright, come on, let's go..."

Red whimpered. "No! Damnit, come on, you don't understand!" Sobbing like an infant, he cried out. "MACHO! C'MERE! HELP!"

Macho and Bogey wandered over. "Vhat did you do?" Bogey lifted his hands to his helmet, facepalming.

Bogey shook his head. "Have fun in prison, Red."

"What?"

Bogey held up a napkin, pointing to rough, blue ink markings on it. "I'm leaving. It's time to go home." He shrugged, turning away. "Don't forget the rules about the soap."

"Oh god. Oh god, I won't last in prison!" Red struggled harder against his captors, his movements twitchier than usual after several rounds of electric shock. "They'll see my complexion! They'll target me! I don't know how to make a shank! Damnit, Bogey, give me a fucking hand here!"

Bogey stopped, folding his arms. "Oh? What's this? Why would Red Pyramid Thing ever need me? After all, I'm just a cheap, American knock-off of him!"

"Bogey..."

"I mean, really, I'm hardly even a pyramid head. I'm just a lump of fanservice, like you said last week."

"Damnit, Bogey, quit being a dick!"

"Sir, stop struggling or we'll have to tase you again." Red whimpered, giving up the fight.

"Bogeyyyyy..." Alessa tugged at his kilt, pouting. "Why're you being mean?"

He sighed. "Look, Alessa, he's in trouble. He did something bad, so now he has to go with-" He stopped, staring at her glistening eyes. "...No. Please don't do that." Alessa sniffled, tears welling up against her lashes. Bogey whined, kneeling down to her. "Look, we'll see him again soon, okay?"

"But... I... Want him..." She took in a deep breath, letting out a hellish scream of "NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Technicians wielding microphones and wearing headphones fell to the ground, screaming in agony. Several laptops exploded, showering the crew in shards of plastic and glass. Alessa began crying, her wailing drawing the ire of everyone on set.

"What's your problem, man?"

"Just do what she says!"

Bogey winced, sighing deeply. He stuffed the napkin between his kilt belts, heading off to the security guards. "Wait. Wait, wait, wait, here, I'll escort him off set." The guards gave him an appraising look. "I know. He's an idiot. Trust me, I know..." After a nod from the set manager, they unlocked Red's cuffs, pushing him over to Bogey. He grasped Red's wrist tightly, yanking him along to head back to the road, letting Alessa hang onto his free hand's pinky finger. "I swear to god, Red, if you ruin this trip for me, I'll rip your helmet off and take your head with it."


	6. Ch 6  The Napkin Of Destiny

"Did you fucking see her? Tell me you saw her. Come on."

"Yeah, Red, I saw her..."

"Blond, man! She was a blond chick!"

"I think her hair was bleached."

"So what? You know I like blonds." Red shuddered in erotic delight, his free hand rubbing circles on his chest.

Bogey sighed deeply, Alessa riding atop his shoulders, grasping his helmet. If it hadn't been for her banshee screaming, he would have happily just left Red behind on the set to be dealt with by security. But no, he had to be the nice guy. Why did he have to be the nice guy? "Yeah, Red, I know."

"I mean, I know mannequins are hairless, but you know what I mean!" Red stumbled around a bit, swooning. "Ahhhh, Maria!" He bounced about, his spear clattering against the ground at times. "Maria! I'll never stop saying Maria! Maria!"

"Red..." Bogey stopped, sighing yet again. "Have some self-respect. This is no time for West Side Story."

"But I don't know any songs that use the name Heather."

Bogey shook his head lightly. "Got the map, Alessa?" Alessa nodded, reaching down to hold the napkin in front of Bogey's head. Giving it a good look, he nodded. "Thanks."

"Mmhm!" She stuffed the map back into her pocket, hanging on quickly as he lurched back into his walk.

"Mariaaaa..."

"Red, shut the hell up."

"What's the matter, Bogey?" Red hurried along, catching up to give Bogey a smack to his shoulder. "Just mad that I've had a relationship and you still haven't?"

Bogey sighed. "It was hardly a relationship, Red. You murdered her a few times and did the other stuff I won't mention in front of a kid."

"It still counts. You're just mad that I've gotten poon and you haven't."

Alessa looked back to Red. "What's poon?"

Bogey glanced up to Alessa. "Nothing." He looked over to Red. "It's because I haven't tried. Duh."

"But I wanna know what it is!"

"You're not old enough..."

"Sure she is!" Red nodded enthusiastically. "Who knows? Maybe she'll grow up at some point."

"Wouldn't your tree get jealous, Red?"

"Har har." Red pointed forward. "We're here."

Bogey stared at the welcoming wooden sign at the side of the road. Seemingly recently repainted, it still had an old-fashioned charm to it in its hand-painted lettering and simple message. "Huh. Welcome to Shepherd's Glen... Where family comes first."

"We can read, dumbass." Red prodded Bogey's behind with his spear. "So... Why are we here?"

"That better be your spear, Red." After looking to be sure, Bogey turned back to the road ahead. "This is where I want to be."

"Is that so?" The spear's tip rested on the ground, its master leaned against it. "And why is that?"

"Oh, come on, Red!" Bogey whipped around, Alessa clinging tightly to his head with a yelp. "How can you not understand? Do you know what's there for me in Silent Hill?" As Red stared blankly, he swept his hand to the side. "Nothing! Nothing is there for me! Here..." He gestured back to the road. "Here, I might find something. If nothing else, I'd get away from you and your retarded teasing."

Red watched as Bogey headed down the road to the town. "...But at least I'm funny."

"No, you're not!" Bogey pressed on, struggling down the street. "You're not funny to me. Have I ever laughed at anything you've said? Ever? At best, you're enough to get Valtiel to pay more attention to you than me. At worst? If my knife weren't so fucking long, I'd have fallen on it by now!"

Red shrank back slightly, holding his spear in both hands. "...Seriously?"

"Yes, damnit!" The irate Bogeyman waved a hand. "So goodbye, Red! I can honestly say I won't miss you!"

"Bogeyman, that's not very nice!"

"What the hell do you care, Alessa?"

"Red! Come with us! I wanna see the town!"

"Alessa, please don't-"

Red strutted onward to Shepherd's Glen, saluting Alessa as he passed by. "Don't mind if I do!"

Bogey stopped on the road, watching as Red gleefully skipped to the town. There it was, off in the distance, no fog obscuring its sights. And there he was, the guy Bogey had been trying to get away from, skipping off to go ruin his chance of having a good time. "Well, Bogeyman?" Alessa's legs flailed against his shoulders. "Aren't you gonna go home?"

Bogey slumped. "What's the point? He's going to be there..."

"So why not go to Silent Hill?"

"Why not..."

"Hey!" The unfamiliar voice drew both the man and the child's attention, bits of gravel crunching from behind them. There, sitting in the driver's seat and leaning to the passenger window of a graphite SUV was a blond woman. Large brown sunglasses covered her eyes and her straight, wispy hair was held back in a ponytail that had clearly been in place all day. She smiled. "You two lost?"

"Hi, lady! We're trying to get to the town over there!" Alessa pointed to the Glen.

"Well hop in, you two, I'll..." The woman's eyes fell to Bogey's knife. Bogey quickly flung it into the ditch. She nodded a bit, straightening up back into the driver's seat. "I'll give you two a ride."


	7. Ch 7  Shepherd's Glen Shootout

The town had much to offer Red, but he knew there would be more to see at night. The town was quaint. Surely once night fell, the PG-13 label would be ripped off and the night life would awaken. So he waited, lurking in an alleyway. It wasn't so bad. He had his smokes with him, and the men hanging around the alley behind the restaurant were kind enough to provide him with a light. They seemed happy to have an interesting smoking buddy. Once it was dark, though, he would ditch them and head to the nearest bar. It was true, he didn't have much experience with courting the ladies, but he was still good at cornering them. He reckoned he could run faster than a girl in heels, too.

"So!" The woman looked to Bogey in the passenger seat, looking back a bit, his seat reclined to allow room for his helmet. "Halloween is months away... Isn't it a little early for a costume?"

"Ah. Yeah..." Bogey shifted uncomfortably in the seat, rearranging the seat belt again. He could never decide where to put it. Below his helmet or on top of it? "Yeah. I'm just... here to try it out on a friend... See, we made sort of matching costumes..."

The woman nodded, glancing to her rear view mirror. There in the back seats sat two children. One, Alessa, swung her legs happily, gazing out the window. The other, a toddler, picked his nose in his booster seat. The woman smiled. "Where's he live? I'll drop you off."

"Oh. He's..." Bogey rearranged his seat belt again, placing it on top of his helmet. "Well. He's visiting too. We decided to uh... Meet here. Y'know."

The woman paused a moment, shaking her head. "I see." A trilling ring sounded from the cup holder. The woman picked her cell phone up, opened it, then held it to her ear. "Hello?" Bogey slid his seat belt under his head. "Hey, babe... Yeah... I'm on my way back now... Oh, yeah, Josh is alright. The doctor gave me some antibiotics. Said it'll clear out in a few days." Alessa patted her hands on her knees, resting her head on the window. "I'll see you in a bit, hon. Well." She glanced to Bogey. "I'll be a little late. There were some people lost by the side of the road." Another pause, ending in her smiling. "Oh, come on, don't say that. No, it's a guy and a little girl. This guy's in a Halloween costume." She looked over to Bogey. "What is that costume, anyways?"

Alessa looked over from the window. "He's the Bogeyman!"

"The _Bogeyman_, she says!" The woman chuckled, tapping her index finger on the wheel. "I don't think he'd fit under a bed, but maybe in a closet... Oh, no, Josh isn't scared of him at all. Maybe it's not the best costume, right?" Her expression grew a bit more serious. "...Oh. Okay. Why?" A long moment passed, ending in her nodding. "...Okay. I'll be right over. Love you." With that, she snapped her phone shut, placing it in the cup holder.

Bogey glanced repeatedly at the woman, unbeknownst to her due to his privacy-providing helmet. "...So. You're married, then?"

"Yep." The SUV slowed as it entered the city's streets, passing busy people and refurbished shop fronts. "Three years strong."

"Huh. Well. Congratulations." Great. The first attractive girl he'd personally met, that he'd even spoken to, was already taken in holy matrimony. Damn. "So... Josh, huh?"

"Yeah." She smiled, turning into a paved driveway. "Here we are. Alex said he'd like to meet you two." Bogey froze up in the middle of unbuckling his seatbelt. "C'mon in, we'll have some iced tea." The buckle of the seat belt reeled in, clanking against his head.

The million mile walk up the front sidewalk was all that separated Bogey from an awkward reunion with the man whose father he had split in half. Bottom to top, at that. He trudged slowly, cursing himself a thousand times for having to fling his knife away. What would he say to Alex? What would the guy do? What would Bogey do, for that matter? And her? Elle, wasn't that her name? He looked over to her, pausing on the sidewalk for a long moment. The woman stopped, looking back. "Ma'am? What's your name?"

She smiled. "Oh. Sorry, I guess I got caught up in the day's errands... My name's Elle."

Bogey suddenly felt himself falling into an endless pit of despair, murk, and awkwardness. It was true! He had struck out three years too late with a girl who was now married to the man whose father had been murdered by his own blade! Alessa tugged on Bogey's kilt, smiling up at him. "C'mon, Bogeyman!"

"So what's your name?"

Bogey's muscles seized, backing up a step. She wanted to know his name? But why? What on earth would... Well... She had just told him hers. "My name?" He waved a hand. "Oh, come on, my name isn't that interesting! Or... Important!" Elle raised a brow, her head tilting as she waited for him to fess up. Bogey sighed. "Just... I guess... I just go by the name Bogey." He waved his hands in a hurried fashion. "I know, it's weird, it's not a name, I just-"

"Fair enough." Elle shrugged, heading up onto the front porch of the Victorian house, opening the front door. "Alex! I'm home!" She bent down to the young boy. "Go find daddy, Josh!" With her beckoning, Bogey stepped closer to the porch, taking his sweet time. Inside the house there wouldn't be much room to run if he had to. He figured that angry husband would have a gun or two. Or three. Christ, didn't he carry like four guns, a steel pipe, and a hatchet with him? Elle looked back to Bogey, resettling her purse on her shoulder. "Coming?"

"I'll just... Y'know. It's a nice day!" He opened his arms to his sides. "I'll take my tea out here on the porch!"

Elle shrugged, heading inside. "Mmkay. You two make yourselves at home."

Bogey nodded a bit to her, looking to Alessa. The little girl had taken Elle's welcoming beckon, seating herself happily on one of the rocking chairs on the porch. The metal-headed man began pacing on the lawn, hands clasped tightly behind his back. Alessa rocked to and fro in her chosen chair, her feet tapping on the floor with each rock. "What's wrong, Bogeyman?"

"Alessa, I don't know if you're too young to understand this sort of thing, but how the hell can this not be wrong?" He gripped his helmet's rim tightly, yanking on it in frustration. "I killed this man's father. Now I've been invited to his home! By his hot wife!"

The girl shrugged. "Why not just try to be happy?"

"How can I be?" He whirled around to face her. "And why the hell are you so damn happy, anyways? You got sacrificed for a cult by your mother and you burned to death in your own home!"

Alessa frowned, lowering her eyes to the porch. For a moment, the only sounds in the world were the rocking of her chair and the cardinals chirping in the tree. Alessa lifted her gaze from the floorboards. "I guess... I don't have to be upset."

"But why? Why wouldn't you be upset? All the shit that's happened to you... All that's been done to you..."

The little girl smiled. "But that's all over now. I don't have to think about it. I can just be happy now. I never got to be happy before... So I'm doing it now." She stood from her chair, stepping down the stoop to wrap her arms around Bogey's legs. "I think you should, too, Bogeyman."

Bogey's shoulders slumped. Wisdom from the mouth of a babe indeed. She had a good point. He lifted a hand to her head, patting her gently. "I guess... I guess you're right." He tilted his head. "I mean... I made it all the way here to Shepherd's Glen. It's a nice place... Even if Red is somewhere around here."

Alessa nodded, looking up to him. "See? You should just be happy!" With that, she released his legs, skipping back up to sit back down in the rocking chair.

Bogey released a refreshed sigh, nodding to himself. "Why be upset about all this? I'll try to just... Maybe I can explain it to him. Y'know?" He set his hands on his hips. "Maybe this won't be so bad! I can start over!" As the front door opened, he raised an arm, waving the most friendly, least twitchy wave he could manage. "Hi!" Gunfire answered, a .45 round lodging in his stomach. "OW! GOD!"


	8. Ch 8  I'll Never Stop Saying

Red casually lifted his cigarette to his helmet's hole, taking a long, deep drag of his cigarette. Parting it from the opening, he exhaled the smoke, relishing the sensation of smoke rolling across his tongue. He stared up at the stage. Words could not describe the disappointment of watching yet another drunk, middle-aged man slurring the words of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" on the karaoke machine. He turned to the bar, rapping his knuckles against it. "'Ey." The barkeep looked up from the glass he was wiping, stepping over. "What d'you have back there?"

The barkeep gave him a flat stare. "...Booze."

"Got any straws?"

"Well... Yeah, I got some."

"Are they bendy?"

"The hell you think this is? Some gay club?"

Red slammed a fist down on the bar. "DO THEY BEND, SIR?"

The barkeep sighed. "Alright. I think I have some. What label?"

"Huh?"

"What kind of beer? We've got Bud, Sam Adams-"

"Just..." Red lifted his cig to his helmet, tapping it moodily against the metal. He honestly didn't know the brands of beer. In Silent Hill, it was called... Beer. "I don't fucking care, man. Bring me a beer and a straw."

The barkeep nodded, giving Red an appraising look as he headed over to fetch the drink. Red tapped his fingers on the bar, groaning. "Where the hell are all the girls..."

"Wrong night, buddy." The barkeep set a tall, foamy glass in front of Red, hesitantly dropping the bent straw in. "Ladies' night is in two nights."

"I'll be honest, man, I'm just here for a while. Know any girls in the area who have a thing for the new guy?" The barkeep grinned, shaking his head. "No, seriously, man, c'mon. You gotta know someone."

"Heh, I dunno... There's some hussie who comes around on ladies' night. She seems kinda picky though. Dunno if she'd go for a guy like you."

"Yeah? You never know... I'm a charmer y'know." Red sipped his beer through the straw, his cigarette between his fingers.

The barkeep let out a laugh. "Huh. Yeah, trust me, man, she's nothing but a tease. When I call her a hussie, I mean that she's just lookin' to get money out of guys." He shook his head. "Dunno what she's saving up for. Never has very different clothes or anything."

"She got a job or something?" Red's straw sunk into his helmet's hole again, sipping quietly from it.

"Yeah. She works at the strip club in Brahams." As Red choked on his drink, the barkeep smirked. "Sound like your style, buddy?"

Red pounded his chest a few times, coughing. "Yeah! Hell yeah! What's she look like? I wanna hone in on the good one!"

"I dunno. Usually wears pink. Her hair changes, though. Always pretty blond, but she dyes the tips."

"Barkeep!" From down the bar, a balding man waved, calling the tender's attention. The barkeep gestured for Red to wait as he walked down to the other man.

"Hey! What's her name?" The barkeep motioned again for Red to wait, leaning over to the other customer. Red growled. "No, no, you don't get it, man!" He scrambled up on top of his stool, stepping up onto the bar to stride over and kick the offending patron in the face.

"What the hell, man?"

Red bent down, grabbing the barkeep by his neck to yank him up off the floor. "You don't get it, asshole. This is shit I need to know. NOW." He released the man, dropping him to a hard landing on the floor. "Now spit it out. What the fuck is her name?"

"Ma..." The man stopped, swallowing hard as he stared up at Red. "Maria." He nodded quickly. "Her name's Maria!"

Reaching behind his back, Red pulled his spear out, pressing the point to the man's neck. "She got a last name, assface?" Of course he would have no idea. Of course she had no last name. Of course he would say nothing.

"Baldwin!"

Red found himself so startled to hear this that he leaned forward on his spear, shoving it through the unfortunate barkeep's throat. The man cried in vain, gurgling. The bothersome patron, having been watching in stunned silence, stood up from his seat at the bar. "You... You killed him, man!" He stumbled back to the crowd around the pool table. "That guy just killed Joe!"

Red yanked his spear out of the man's neck, resting it on his shoulder. The description certainly fit: blond, flirty, golddigging... But Maria definitely didn't have a last name. Definitely. Heck, she technically wasn't even legal yet. Still, if she had faked a last name, she probably could have faked her age. Maybe she even had a fake ID. Or maybe it was real. Red sighed, deciding he would have to figure it out later. An angry mob was now staring at him as he stood on the bar, the barkeep's blood dripping from his spear onto one of the stools. They looked like a surly bunch, unwilling to let something like this go very easily. They knew the barkeep by name.

With a shrug, Red stepped down from the bar. "Looks like the bar's all yours, guys."

The crow cheered, rushing to the bar as Red strutted out.


	9. Ch 9  Daddy Daughter Dinner

After being shot several times, tied up securely with far too much rope, then dragged down a set of stairs on top of a rug, Bogey felt as though he'd been thoroughly defeated. That, obviously, wasn't enough. He now laid on the floor of the basement, the rug long gone from underneath him, leaving him to enjoy the moist, mildew-soaked floor of the basement. Alessa wasn't much better off. Seeing as she was a child instead of a gigantic demonic thing, she wasn't tied up, but she still sat on a wooden chair in the basement alongside Bogey. They had been locked into a smaller room of the basement, a room in which there was little more to look at than a small corner of the room covered in white tile. Bogey could do little more than sigh at the situation.

"What's the matter, Bogey?"

"I think that'd be pretty obvious, Alessa..."

The girl hopped down from her chair, walking on over to him. She knelt down behind him, picking at the ropes that bound him. "Umm... I think maybe this one's loose..." She picked at the particular rope some more, eventually managing to pull it from the knot. "There we go!" She nudged his shoulder. "Sit up, Bogeyman! I'll unwrap you!"

"Can't..." He tried pushing back against the bindings, shifting his arms. "Damnit. Here, try unwrapping, I'll just try to push up from the floor a little." As the two did their best to rid him of the ropes, the sound of feet descending the stairs caused them both to freeze. Alessa quickly ran back to her chair, sitting back on it with an innocent expression while Bogey held still, hoping the ropes wouldn't appear too loose.

The door's lock clicked, opening to let Alex Shepherd step through. He looked at Bogey for a long moment, his handgun ready at his side. He glanced to Alessa as well, deeming her of very little threat. "Alright, you two. If you want to stay alive, you'd best start talking." He pointed to Alessa. "You start."

Alessa nodded. "Well! Bogey wanted to come to Shepherd's Glen 'cause he thought it would be a nice place to live, so we came here from Silent Hill!" She smiled wide, nodding to Alex.

"That's it?" She nodded happily. He pointed his gun at Bogey. "Bullshit. You two are here because of the pact, aren't you!"

Alessa shook her head quickly. "No, no, we're not! Bogey wanted to live here instead of Silent Hill 'cause he doesn't like it there!" She pouted. "Don't shoot him!"

Bogey nodded in agreement. "Yeah, please don't shoot-"

"Shut the hell up!" Alex glared down at him. "I didn't ask you to talk!"

From above, the door to the basement opened. "Hon! Dinner's ready!"

Alex sighed, setting the safety on his pistol. He turned to the door, opening it to head out. Alessa quickly followed behind him, bumping into him as he stopped. "No. You're staying down here."

The girl pouted. "But I'm hungry!"

"I'll bring you some later, then."

Elle headed down the stairs, looking around the corner from the landing. "Hon?" She frowned. "...Alex, come on, leave them alone for now."

Alex sighed heavily. "Make up a plate for the girl. I'll sit down once I've brought hers to her."

Elle frowned. "She can probably eat at the table... I think it'd be okay..." Alex looked to her pleadingly. Elle sighed. "Alright. I'll be right back."

The menu for that night consisted of cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, and pork chops. Dinner upstairs made little noise, Elle and Alex speaking quietly to each other. In the basement, however, Alessa talked happily to Bogey, her mouth full half the time. Between the two of them, they had managed to untie Bogey through Alessa's ability to move her hands and his own strength holding himself up from the floor. Alessa hadn't been given a very large plate, but she still insisted on letting Bogey have some. How he would eat, of course, was something all its own to figure out. They could have simply removed his helmet, but he found himself extremely uncomfortable with the idea of doing so. Luckily, his helmet had a small opening in the bottom of it. It was too small for Bogey to reach into, but Alessa's little arm was small enough to fit in.

"Get it yet?" Her sleeve rolled up, she held a baby carrot in her hand, reaching in deep to try to get it to his mouth.

"Nope."

She shifted a bit. "How 'bout now?"

"Nope..."

"Now?"

He sighed. "Look. I'll just find it myself."

Alessa blinked a bit, waiting to see what he would do. She squealed, giggling as his tongue finally found her hand, snaking into her fingers to grab the baby carrot. Alessa pulled her hand out, her giggles subsiding slowly. She reached back to her plate, picking up another carrot. "That tickled! Do it again!" With that, she shoved her arm back in. "Your tongue's all rough! Like a cow's!"

Bogey winced a bit, her arm smashing his tongue against his helmet. "...Ow." He snatched the carrot from her, waving a hand as she lifted another. "No thanks. Full."

"But Bogey, there are pork chops here too!"

"That's alright..." He looked over to the plate. "...That asshole didn't even cut it up for you."

Alessa frowned. "...Well. No."

"Do you have a knife there?" She shook her head. Bogey growled. "What's he expect you to do? Just gnaw it off the bone?"

"I dunno... Maybe he thought you'd have a knife with you!"

"Go get him. I wanna talk to him."

Alessa nodded, hopping up from her spot on the floor to step over to the door. She frowned. "...Bogey, there isn't a doorknob."

"Right, right... Forgot..." He pushed himself up from the floor, giving the door a shove. As it held its ground, he sighed. "Damnit." Taking in a deep breath, he released it in a shout of "ALEX!" Bogey waited, listening intently. The two had stopped talking upstairs, but he heard no footsteps. "Get down here!"

With a sigh, a word to Elle, and stairs descended, Alex returned to the basement, opening the door. He quickly lifted his gun, taking aim at Bogey while the helmeted man nonchalantly picked up Alessa's plate. "What the hell? Did she untie you?" Elle descended the stairs soon after, stopping at the landing as she saw her husband's tense pose.

Bogey lifted the plate, holding it out to Alex. "Look at this, Shepherd." Alex blinked, glancing to the plate. "Look at this. What do you see?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I see a plate of food that my wife generously made up for the girl. Why aren't you tied up?"

Bogey shook his head. "Look, do you leave it whole for your kid? Do you make Josh cut up his meat?" After Alex hesitantly shook his head, he continued. "Then why are you expecting _my_ girl to gnaw it off the bone like a dog?" Alessa smiled, stepping over to Bogey's side and looking up at Alex. Bogey patted her head, waiting for Alex's reply.

"...She's your daughter?"

"Yeah."

Alex nodded slowly, his gun lowering slightly. "...Where's her mother, then?"

"Well." Bogey shrugged. "Adopted, anyways. But still." He lifted the plate closer to Alex. "Either give me a knife or cut it yourself."

"Alex?" Elle stepped over from the stair landing, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Could I talk to you?"

Leaving the Bogeyman and his "daughter" alone for the time being, Elle and Alex headed back upstairs to the kitchen. Elle leaned on the counter, looking up at her husband with a sympathetic gaze. "Alex... I know you're worried. I am too. But why is it you hate them so much?" She shook her head. "I mean... They haven't done anything. For all we know, they're trying to escape just like our ancestors did."

"Elle, it's not like that."

"Then what is it, Alex? What is it you're not telling me?"

"Hi." The two turned towards the dining room at the sound of Josh's voice, heading in. There at the table, sitting beside their son, was Alessa. She smiled at Josh while Bogey reached around her from behind her chair, busy slicing up her pork chop. He paused to acknowledge the Shepherd parents' presence, then continued slicing.

"No." Alex strode over. "No, no, no-" Bogey raised the steak knife, pointing to the man who quickly raised his hands in surrender. Alex glared at Bogey. "Y'know, I could just disarm you-"

"Shut the hell up. You weren't a soldier, dumbass." The two stared each other down for a moment, motionless. It was Alex's house. She was Bogey's daughter. It was the Shepherds' hospitality. He was the one with a knife. Half-eaten food sat forgotten on the plates, waiting on them all to make a decision. Bogey lifted the knife up, turning it to its side. "Remember your dad, Shepherd? What happened to him?" Alex's eyes widened at the memory, his head slowly nodding. "Well. There's a reason it happened." He turned his hand over, opening his palm, the knife laying placidly across his fingers. "And it's not going to happen again."

Elle looked between the two, uncertain of what was even happening. Alex stared at the knife, lifting a hand over it. Bogey's hand, irreversibly stained by a deep red blotch of blood covering his arm up to the bicep, remained still as Alex lifted the knife from it. The man stared up at the monster, gripping the knife tightly in his hand. He lowered his gaze to Alessa, watching the scene with anxious eyes and parted lips.

The knife dropped to the table by her plate. "...Sit down." He nodded to himself, returning to his place at the table. Elle placed a hand over her heart, breathing a sigh of relief. "We need to talk." Alessa smiled at him, looking up to Bogey. "No reason for me to get into a fight with another father..."


	10. Ch 10  Old Habits

"So who the heck is that guy, anyways?" Tom nodded towards the strange, metal-headed man by the stage of the strip club. "He new in town?"

Dave shrugged. "He's definitely pretty memorable, ain't he? Can't say I'd forget a guy like that." The two took a moment to drink from their respective beers. The man in question didn't seem that terribly interested in the girls on the poles. He just tipped back in his chair, smoked his cigarette, and watched. "Looks like he's a pretty tough customer."

"Heh, yeah, definitely..." Tom waved to a waitress, flagging her down. "Hey, when's the show start, anyway?"

"Show starts at eight, fellas." She smiled her flirty, fake, million-times-a-night smile. "Need some live singing, I take it? Already a big show goin' on."

Dave grinned, nodding. "Yeah. Gotta get our money's worth, y'know?" Dave checked his watch, nodding to himself. Five til eight. He suspected his watch was in need of a new battery again, though. As the waitress headed off, he looked to his buddy. "Betcha he'll get impressed by the show, eh?"

Tom nodded. "Yep. That's what I'm banking on."

The two friends looked up as the lights of the club adjusted, whirling about as the stage went black. A sensual voice called out on the intercom. "Having a good time, everyone?" As the crowded club lifted their drinks and cheered in unison, drums counted off the first beats of the song. Guitar quickly joined in, the lights changing yet again. "You've proven it with your wallets and all those flowers! She's earned the right to be the club favorite! Give it up, boys, for Maria!"

The lights of the stage raised to a rich pink, illuminating the lone girl on the stage, scant light from her spotlight cast on a trio behind her huddled around a microphone. Maria smiled her best, sauciest smile, her microphone headset nestled in her hair. Dazzling all with both her body and metallic pink lingere, she began to sing a smooth, longing melody. Red took his cigarette from his helmet, crushing it in the ashtray on his table. Maria played the crowd well throughout the number, her repeated chorus expressed in her seeming search of the audience as she traversed the peninsular stage. Her eyes rested a moment on Red before continuing on past him. rounding the stage and settling on the pole in the middle.

Red rummaged in his pocket as the song drew closer to the end, her performance continuing as she clung to the pole, sliding up and down its length between her splayed legs. Pinching the cigarette tightly between his fingers, Red could hardly contain himself from climbing onto the stage as she went into a veritable orgasm during the song's coda, hanging upside down on the pole, her fingers grasping at the floor. As the song ended, the stage grew dark again while the girls left the stage, replaced yet again with the regular dancers while the band continued on into a swifter, more folk-themed song to match the new group of dancers in their cowgirl bikinis. Red finally lit his cigarette, settling it in his helmet with a satisfied sigh. "Mariaaaa..."

Maria yanked her headset off in her dressing room, throwing it to the vanity. The piece of equipment landed atop numerous bouquets and love notes, causing the flowers' wrappings to crinkle on impact. The night had been stressful enough already. No matter how well she did, her boss always got a kick out of questioning her ID. Did he think he was funny or something? How much more did she have to do? She already had enough to worry about. When it wasn't him questioning her, it was the hospital. When it wasn't them, it was the insurance company. When would it end?

Two knocks on her door caused her to glance at her mirror, smoothing her hair out before turning towards the door. "Who is it?"

"It's James!"

Her eyes widened. She rushed to the door, yanking it wide open. Red waved to her, his other hand occupied with hanging onto a dead security guard. "Hey! You opened it!"

Maria glared at him. "How many years has it been, Red?"

"Oh dear. You're mad, aren't you?" He flung the guard off to the opposite wall of the hallway.

"You said you'd call me!"

"Damnit. I was afraid you'd be mad."

She stormed back into her room, tossing her hands about. "I gave you my home phone, then I called you to give you my mobile, then I sent back your post cards with my new address on them!" She turned back to him, shaking her head and opening her hands. "What the hell happened? Fall off the planet or something?"

"Maria?"

"What?"

Red lifted his cigarette to his helmet. "Why are you so mad?"

Maria curled her hands into fists, turning away and folding her arms. "...So where's your stupid friend?"

"Who? Eddie?" He shrugged. "Stuff happened."

"No, the other one with the helmet."

Red took a long drag from his cigarette, exhaling shortly after. "Eh. He didn't do to well in the faking part of faking his own death. Dumbass really did kill himself." Red watched her from the threshold, stepping into the room and quietly closing the door behind himself. "I uh... Got something for you." He quietly slid his hand into his pocket.

"Oh?" She turned back to him, her hair swinging about with her turn. "And what would that be? Another one of your stupid coupon books?"

"No," he blurted, digging deeper in his pocket. "I got you..." His fingers reaching something, he pulled it out, presenting it to her. "A-" He paused to figure out what he'd pulled out. "-button!" Maria arched a brow, her eyes half-lidded and lips set in a line. "It's a _special_ button."

"Oh? Why's it so special?"

"Because, y'know..." He turned the button over in his fingers. Where had he gotten such a shoddy plastic button? "It's from Silent Hill. Y'know. That place..." Her eyes narrowed, brows lowering. "...where you used to work..."

A passing technician, unsatisfied with the malfunctioning bar lights, paused as he walked by. Sounds were coming from the star's room, loud sounds of shrieks and yells. He looked around for anyone nearby, stepping closer and leaning on the wall beside the door. A janitor happened by next, spotting the techie. He blinked a few times, taking a spot beside the door as well. "You hearing this, man?" The janitor nodded. "Think it has something to do with him?" The techie pointed to the guard's corpse, causing the janitor to gasp in surprise. The two nodded to each other, running off.


	11. Ch 11  Condemned To The Shower

While Elle sat across from Josh and Alex sat at the head of the table, Alessa sat next to Josh, Bogey positioned on the other end of the table. After Bogey sat down, the conversation that Alex had said needed to happen mysteriously hadn't started yet. Elle slid the dishes of food down to Bogey, standing to get him some silverware and a plate. Bogey couldn't exactly say he was too hungry, but he did feel a bit depleted after receiving several bullet holes in his chest and stomach. Elle glanced up at Bogey a moment. "Could you take your... um..." She paused, peering at him. "...hat off?"

Bogey served himself up a pork chop, sliding the dish back down the table. "I'd really rather not. Sorry."

Alex sighed. "I don't think it's asking much."

"Trust me, it is."

Alessa shook her head quickly, mouthing the word "No" to Alex. The man frowned. "Why not?"

"I have a really bad scar on my face." He speared a piece of his pork chop on his fork, lifting it to the hole in his helmet.

"Mom, can I wear my hat?" Josh smiled wide to his mother, giving her Bambi eyes. Elle shook her head, causing him to pout.

The woman looked down the table to Bogey. "Don't think we're about to judge you, okay?" Behind her, Alex gave her a flat stare. "After all, you're a guest." He snapped out of the expression, nodding to her as she turned to him. "Right?"

He nodded quickly. "Right." Alex turned his attention to Bogey. "So. You're... From Silent Hill. How are things there?"

"Terrible." Bogey dished out some carrots for himself, getting a large stack of them on his plate. "I haven't really made any friends and I don't like the quality of life there." He carefully loaded a few of the carrots back onto the serving spoon with his fork, putting them back in the dish. "Aside from all the broken buildings and Otherworld transitions, there's all the monsters and... It's just not a very friendly place."

"Really." Alex lowered his brow. "Not very friendly. You seemed pretty at home at the hotel when I went there."

Bogey sighed, spearing a carrot on his fork. "Yeah... About that... Some idiot named Red left some post cards there. Couldn't be bothered to get them himself, so he made me do it."

"Post cards?"

"Yeah. Never did find them."

Alex nodded slowly.

"What were you doing there, anyways?"

"I was looking for my brother..." He stopped, raising a brow. "Wait, you saw me there?"

Bogey picked the carrot off his fork with his tongue, swallowing it down. "Yeah. Your head was sticking out from that pile of wreckage. What, were you trying to hide?" As Alex nodded, Bogey leaned forward in disbelief. "Seriously? I was waiting for you to say something when I saw you! But then you didn't, so..." He laughed. "Oh, man, that had me scratching my head for a while."

Elle raised a brow, looking to Alex. "You went to the... hotel? When?"

Alex reached over, dishing out another spoonful of mashed potatoes for himself. "It was before we went. I just kind of woke up there... Not sure how."

Bogey nodded. "Yeah. That tends to happen. You're not the only one." Alessa peered over at Josh's plate. As the boy lifted a spoonful of mashed potatoes to his mouth, her eyes darted from the spoon to his face. Without warning, the potatoes flung themselves from his spoon to his nose, spreading on his face. The girl giggled raucously as Josh wiped his face in frustration. Bogey reached over, bopping Alessa on her head. "That's not nice, Alessa. Stop that."

"Aww, Bogey, I was just playing!" She pouted, bowing her head.

"Don't do it again." He shook a finger at her. "Otherwise, Bogeyman'll getcha." Alessa giggled, yelping as Bogey ruffled her hair.

"So... You're the same guy from the poem, aren't you?" Alex pointed his spoon to Bogey. "The one from the kid rhymes who punishes the bad children."

"Well. Sort of. See, my actual purpose is-" Bogey stopped as the phone rang from the kitchen, interrupting his train of thought. Elle slid back in her chair, standing and striding into the kitchen. Bogey shook his head as she answered it. "Anyways. As I was saying, the reason I exist in the first place is-"

"Alex! It's Wheeler!" Alex frowned, standing from the table to go to the phone. Alessa frowned, looking up at Bogey. He shrugged at the girl. The two turned towards the kitchen, listening intently. After speaking a few words, Alex murmured softly. Elle shortly returned, looking to Bogey. "He... needs to talk to you."

Bogey hesitated before standing from his chair, heading to the kitchen. Alex held the phone out to him, standing aside as Bogey lifted the receiver to his head. "Hello?"

"Hey, this is Sheriff Wheeler. I'm patching you over to the Brahms Police Department." Bogey looked to Alex, who stood with his arms folded over his chest.

"Alright. Go ahead." After a click and a short pause, background noise of talking and a small amount of echoing came from the other end. "Hello?"

"Bogey! Buddy! Hey, you know I always thought you were an alright guy who certainly isn't a ripoff of anyone I know very intimately, right?"

"What the... How did you get this number? How did you know-"

"Look, I guessed, okay?"

Bogey sighed deeply. "What do you want, Red?"

"It's not so much want as it is need."

"Okay, then what do you _need_?"

"I need fifteen thousand dollars."

"What?"

"Need. Now. Go to the bank and get a loan."

"Red, there's no way the bank is open at this hour, and no, I'm not doing that!" He smacked a hand against his helmet. "What the hell did you do, anyways?"

"Uh."

"Red..."

"Okay so I found out where Maria works."

"...You didn't-"

"Okay, so it's rape charges."

"Damnit, Red." 

"And murder. But the guy was in my way, so it hardly counts."

"Damnit, Red!"

"Okay, so, here's what I need you to do. Either you go get me a loan or you call up Valtiel so I can leave." A few moments of silence passed between the two. "Come on, you know I'd do it for you."

"No, you wouldn't, because I wouldn't be enough of an idiot to get myself locked up!" Bogey lifted his arm, leaning against the phone's wall. "Look, I think it's time you finally pay your dues after all the dumb shit you do." Bogey turned a bit, glancing to the dining room to make sure he was out of earshot of the children. "This isn't Silent Hill. There are different laws in this world. I'm not going to bail you out, Red. I already did that once."

"...Where are you, anyways?"

"I'm not telling you that."

"I could always just ask around."

"No, you couldn't. You're in jail. How'd you even get caught, anyways?"

"...Well! They came at me from all sides with assault rifles, so after a long, bloody struggle-"

"How'd you _actually_ get caught?"

"I gotta go."

"You pissed yourself like a little girl again, didn't you?"

"I'll call you tomorrow!... What? What do you mean I don't get a call tomorrow?... That's bullshit. Okay. Bogey. Listen. Come over here and visit me, man. Hours are from eight to eleven in the morning, annnnd... Fuck, what are they... Oh, one to five thirty in the afternoon!"

"I'm not going to visit you, Red."

"Yes you are. I'll see you tomorrow."

Bogey sighed heavily, hanging up the phone. "God, I hope he gets the chair."

Red hung up the phone, lifting it again and attempting to dial once more. A guard yanked him out of his seat, wrenching the phone from his hand. "Hey!" With a blast from the guard's taser, the struggle was over and Red was dragged to his cell.

After his first day outside of his home town, Red found himself a felon and a sudden roommate to a man named Robert. He wasn't that bad, really. All Red could find to be irritated about was the fact that the man was so damned nosy. Asking for Red's name was to be expected. But then, he asked the all-important question. "So what're you in for?"

Red tapped his fingers on the bars, already growing claustrophobic. "Tax evasion. You?"

Robert rubbed his chin. "Molested my daughter."

"Fantastic. I think we'll get along quite well." Red shifted his shoulders a bit, still not yet accustomed to his jumpsuit. He feared they may have thrown away his favorite moldy smock. At least they had left his gloves alone. That would have been difficult to explain.

"You don't want to kill me?"

"Gonna give me a reason to?" Robert remained quiet, sitting alone on the lower bunk. A metallic clang down the hall caught Red's attention, prompting him to press his head against the bars. Damn them for being so tight. He couldn't see anything except the cell across from his in which a large man picked his nose.

After a few shouts, the noise subsided, footsteps nearing his cell. A guard strolled up to his cell, looking him over. "Take the hat off, new guy."

"Can't."

"Take it off."

Red lifted a hand to the end of his helmet. "Oh, you dirty man, you."

"Oh, come on," Robert protested, "I'm stuck with another queer?"

"You." The guard pointed his baton to Robert. "Quiet down. You." He pointed it to Red. "Hat off. Now."

"I want another phone call."

"Yeah, well, you're not getting another phone call."

"Yeah but the guy I called was a dumbass."

"You're given one phone call up front. You're supposed to think hard on this phone call."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, whatever." Red lifted his hands. "Look, do you really think this prison can keep me in? I got pretty good friends." He gripped the bars, pressing his helmet against them again. "Y'know where my friends are?"

"They're not here. That's where." The guard gave Red a light tap on his helmet with the baton. "Your gang isn't gonna help you here, buddy."

"OW!" Red stumbled back, falling onto his rear. "OH GOD! OH GOD, ABUSE!" Other prisoners began to grow excited, interested in the commotion. Red fell onto the floor, writhing and holding his head. "Why did you hit so HARD?"

"Look, I barely even hit you. Quiet down."

Red stopped his writhing, sighing and sitting up. "I want reading material. Gimme a magazine."

"Yeah, well, we don't have any magazines. We have books. What do you want to read?"

"Something. Anything. I don't fucking care."

The guard nodded, strolling on. Robert blinked a few times at Red, wringing his hands nervously. "What the hell're you looking at, chomo?" Robert shook his head, averting his gaze to the floor. The guard returned shortly, holding a book to the bars. Red scrambled to his feet, snatching the book up. "What's this?" He peered at the cover. Two hands held an apple, the hands pale and white. "Oh. Thanks." If he could judge the book by its cover, it was a depiction of someone pale holding an apple, both things he liked very much. Red tossed the book onto the top bunk, climbing up afterward to settle in and read.

Robert stood up, peeking over the edge of the bunk. "...What'd he give you?"

Red closed the book, keeping his thumb in between the pages. "Uh. Something about apples." He shooed Robert away. "Leave me alone. It's got a girl in it." His feet kicked wildly. "Ooh, and she's about to die right at the start!" Red turned the page. "...Aw. No. That's just from the end... Or something..." He grumbled.

"...So what's the title?"

"Don't you have anything better to do, chomo?" 

"My name's Robert-"

"Yeah well now it's chomo. Go away."


	12. Ch 12  Tissues And Lotion

A sleeping bag wasn't Bogey's idea of proper accomodations, not when he knew everyone else in the house would be sleeping in a proper bed. Especially not when the sleeping bag would be on the basement floor. At least Alessa had been given the privilege of sleeping in Josh's room on the top bunk, giving Bogey a bit of solace. That solace was all he had as he tried in vain to get comfortable on the basement floor. The sleeping bag was far too small for him to fit into properly. After unzipping it completely, he laid it over himself like a blanket. The man let out a sigh. Great. Now he was on the bare floor. The bare, rough, cold, moist, concrete floor.

Bogey pushed himself up from the floor with a grunt, trudging up the stairs. He guessed it was probably late by now. Alex had probably already gone to bed by now. Elle, too. Bogey glanced at the microwave, spotting the clock on it. Ten thirty-two. Alessa and Josh were already put to bed by now. Hopefully she was behaving herself. He couldn't imagine Josh was used to having a psychic girl sharing his space.

Treading quietly through the house, Bogey checked every cabinet on the first floor, hoping against hope that they stored their linens downstairs. It was a fruitless search, though. If he had been trying to find cleaning supplies to at least clean the basement floor, he would have been happy. Closing the last closet door, he considered doing just that, since it looked like it would be his mattress for the night.

"Did you need something?" Bogey whirled around, staring at the source of the voice. There stood Elle, feet bare, pajama pants on, and a bathrobe wrapped about herself. Her hair laid loose over her shoulders, tucked behind her ears. Elle raised her brows, leaning forward a bit. "...Hello?"

"Uh." Bogey quickly shook his head. _Come on, Bogey_, he thought. _Ignore the bathrobe and the hair and just talk._ "Uh. Yeah. I was... I was looking for uh..." He sighed. "The basement is really uncomfortable. And the sleeping bag is too small. I'm talking... Way too small."

"You could sleep on the couch. Would that be better?"

"Alex won't mind?"

She waved a hand and shook her head. "Look, I don't know what's going on between you two. I know Silent Hill is a bad place... Believe me." She paused a moment, glancing to the floor before looking up at him. "But I'm not about to judge you just because of where you're from. You haven't done anything to make me nervous." The woman offered a heartfelt smile to go with the heartfelt moment. They were having a moment! Bogey felt his heart thump. Elle lifted a hand to re-tuck her hair behind her left ear. There in the dim light from a plug-in air freshener, the slightest glint of her wedding ring met Bogey's gaze. His heart sank. Right. She was already taken.

"So I'll bed down on the couch, then." He lifted a hand to his chest, giving it a good scratch. The air in this place was much more humid than Silent Hill's dry, dead air. Try as he might, his helmet kept bothering his skin. "Could I ask for two more things?"

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Uh... I'd like some tissues. Y'know, like... Kleenexes."

She nodded, turning. "C'mon, there are some in the living room." She paused, looking back to him. "What was the other thing?"

Bogey continued to scratch at his chest. "Oh. Lotion. Hand lotion, body lotion, anything like that."

Elle stared at him in silence for a moment. "...Kleenexes and lotion?" Bogey nodded. "You're kidding me."

He paused. What was so strange about his request? "Yeah. I just have certain... Well, needs, y'know."

"I'll say." She headed off to the living room, Bogey following behind. "Is that why Alex doesn't like you?"

"Huh?"

"Being bold like that. Is that why he doesn't like you?"

"Bold?" As they stepped into the living room, Bogey continued on past Elle, sitting down on the couch. He prodded the cushions with his finger. Nice and firm, but still soft. Excellent for holding up his weight and cushioning him at the same time. He reached over to the coffee table, turning on the table lamp. The room looked as though it had been redecorated recently, full of new furnishings and a flat screen television set.

"It's just..." Elle leaned against the doorway. "...Well. I can't say I've ever been asked for something like that before. Most guys seem to know better."

He nodded. "Oh. It's sort of a strange request, I guess." He continued to scratch at his chest. "Sorry. It's just so rough on the bottom side and it gets itchy and..." He stopped as she lifted a hand to her mouth, shaking with suppressed laughter. "What?"

She let out a laugh, quieting herself quickly, remembering how late it was. "Nothing! Nothing, nothing... Oh, wow!" She shook her head, walking off. "I'll go get your lotion!"

Elle returned shortly after she left, bringing a bottle of lotion with her. She set the lotion on the coffee table, pushed the box of tissues alongside it, then sat down beside Bogey, clasping her hands together. "Alright. I'm even more curious now. What are you going to do with these?"

Bogey itched his chest a bit harder, nervous. She had gone as far as to sit by him. Her bathrobe was a bit loose, revealing that she wore a spaghetti-strap top underneath. If he peered a bit further from a little higher up, he might be able to see something. He quickly grabbed several tissues, shaking off the thought. No. He wouldn't end up like Red. Never like him! Bogey placed the tissues on his lap, grabbing the bottle of lotion next. Lifting his helmet up with his dominant right hand, he held the bottle in his left, pressing down on the dispenser to empty a few squirts of the soothing substance on his red, irritated chest. After spreading the lotion around, he carefully placed the tissues on top of it, protecting the lotion with a layer of paper between it and his helmet. He carefully patted the tissues, making sure they were going to stay put before easing his helmet back down onto them. "There we go. Thanks."

Elle smiled, nodding. "No problem. So that's not a costume, is it?"

"It's not..."

"So you can't take the helmet off?"

"I can... But y'know... Scar and everything."

She rested her elbow on her knee, resting her chin on her hand in turn. She gazed up at him for a moment, seeming to debate what to say next. "So." She tilted her head a bit. "What do you look like without it on?"

Bogey nudged at the tissues a bit, leaning back on the couch. "Elle, do you think the darkness of Silent Hill will ever reach this town again?"

She blinked a few times after the subject change. "Well..." The woman looked down to the carpet, thinking for a moment as her fingers spun her ring around her finger. "I don't know. We were going to just leave altogether, but we decided that if it ever rears its ugly head again, we'll be here to fight back."

Bogey nodded a bit. It was good to hear such determination existed somewhere in the world, determination that wasn't focused on causing pain or anguish. Living in that cursed town had given him such tunnel vision. When he didn't see anything but the dead, decayed, brutalized town for years, the good in the world blindsided him. The only response he knew was to lash out against it, destroying it to return to his established world of misery. Maybe there was light at the end of the tunnel, though. He had always hoped to reach this town. It was his light. "Then..." He raised his hands to the sides of his helmet. "Alright. I'll show you. Reach back and give the largest dial a clockwise turn."

Elle nodded, getting up onto her knees on the couch. She reached to the back of his head, grasping the dial and attempting to give it a turn. She frowned, reaching her other hand back to push harder on the rusted dial. Finally, it gave way, turning with a whine.

"Sit down first, Elle." With a nod, she did so, sitting comfortably against the arm and back of the couch. Carefully, he lowered the helmet's halves from his head, placing them one on top of the other on his lap. Elle gasped, her hand clapping over her mouth. Bogey reached to the box of tissues, grabbing several to mop up the blood from a few reopened scars. Most of his face had scarred over with every shift of his helmet, giving his face a pockmarked, cratered appearance. Others hadn't yet sealed so securely.

Despite the damage to his face, his identity was still obvious, especially to her. "You're..." She quickly shook her head. "But you can't be. He-"

"Doesn't need to know about this," Bogey finished. He lifted a hand to his head, rearranging his soaked hair. "Look, it's not something that would be easy to explain. I don't know most of it, myself."

"But..." Elle reached over, tentatively placing a hand on his face. Her fingers quickly replied. Yes, it was real. "You look just like him..."

He lifted a hand, pulling hers from his face. "He's probably wondering what happened to you. Go to bed..." He pressed a fresh tissue to his scars. "Oh... Explain to him that I'm sleeping here. I don't want to wake up to him beating me over the head with a crowbar."


	13. Ch 13  You Can't Escape The Nightmare

Red tapped his fingers on the shoddy formica table in the visitation room, puffing his cigarette impatiently. He would come. He would have to. Wouldn't he? If he didn't, hopefully Valtiel would beat his ass raw. He lifted the cig from his helmet. Of course, the down side of that would be the fact that he wouldn't get to watch. He looked up as a tall man stepped into the enclosure, sunglasses on his eyes and wet black hair on his head. He looked normal aside from his height and roid-rage build. He wore normal clothes: a t-shirt and jeans along with a pair of boots made him look just like any other gangster or drug dealer who stepped in through that door. A jacket covered his arms, gloves covering his hands. Red knew better than to think this was just another tough guy, though. Those scars all over his face gave him away. He tipped back in his chair as Bogey made his way over, sitting on the opposite side of the small table. "Hey, buddy. Get that fifteen grand yet?"

"I want to tell you something, Red."

"How about you tell me that you got the money?"

"I'm happy."

Red hesitantly tapped ashes from his cigarette. "...Really."

"Yeah. Do you know why?"

He lifted the cig back to his helmet hole. "Don't tell me you finally lost your virginity. I won't believe you."

"Actually..." Bogey smirked. "Someone was kind enough to give me a place to stay. Someone... Female." Red pinched his cigarette tightly between his fingers. "This lady happens to be pretty good-looking." Bogey leaned forward on the table, the words rolling off his tongue with relish. "She happens to be... Blond."

Red leapt to his feet, flinging the table at a bystander. "Shut the fuck up, you liar!"

"Jealous? I thought you would be."

"Fuck you!" Red thrust a thumb to himself. "I'm the one who gets action! Not you! You're a fucking liar!" A nearby guard crept up behind Red, zapping him with his taser. Red came crashing down to the floor, twitching.

"Sorry, Red. I can't hear you over the fact that I'm suddenly pleased with my existence." He lifted a hand, shaking his head as the guard began to drag the irate pyramid away. "Nah. Leave him be. It's fine."

Red stumbled to his feet as his muscles slowly relaxed from the sudden shock. "No. No, no, no. Come on. Bogeyman!" He spread his arms in a pleading gesture. "Come on! You can't just taunt me like this!"

"Oh. And Alessa's going to be enrolling at school soon."

"But she's always going to be seven!"

Bogey shrugged. "Guess we'll have to travel." He folded his arms. "Y'know, I think I could get a pretty good job. Could be a trucker. You know what truckers get?" After allowing Red time for a confused silence, he continued. "Whores, Red. They get lots and lots of whores. That's what truck stops are. Roadside brothels."

Red cried out in rage and desperation, leaping at Bogey, his hands wrapping around the man's neck. "I HATE YOU! OH, GOD, I HATE YOU!" The guard returned quickly, yanking Red off with a few pulls. As he continued to struggle and flail, the taser met him again, zapping him into submission.

"Y'know what?" Bogey strode over to Red, bent over to stare down at him on the floor. "This is America, damnit. I could even run for president. You know how much unmitigated ass the president has access to? Lots, Red. He gets to have _lots_ of mistresses. I'll turn into JFK while you rot here." As Red groaned on the floor, Bogey grinned. "You remember that contest you started? Whoever gets Alessa to Valtiel first and all that? I think I'll get her to him first. After all, it's not like you can do anything here while you hang out with your shower buddies in prison!"

"THAT DOES IT!" Red scrambled to his feet, stomping his foot down. From his foot's landing, the prison floor began to melt away, falling through a harsh metal grate into a pit of blackness below. He reached behind his back as the corruption spread, pulling a spear out and gripping it in both hands. "Sick of your shit. Sick of it. SICK of IT." His prison jumpsuit fell to pieces, revealing his moldy robe underneath.

As the prisoners and guards alike panicked, trying in vain to escape the nightmarish transition of the prison, the ceiling began to fall in flakes. Most of it escaped through the floor, but two columns on either side of Bogey formed, quickly taking shape as monsters identical to his original form. They let loose echoing howls, lifting a helmet to fit onto his head. As the torture device locked into place, his clothes fell away, reshaping as a kilt around his legs. His knife fell from the ceiling, landing heavily in his hands. With a swipe, its edge lodged into the metal grating, sparks flying from the impact point.

"You sure you wanna do this?" Red sneered, stepping closer. "You know the rules. You know I'm not him."

"I don't need the rules in my favor to kick your ass." Bogey raised his knife in defense, waiting for Red to make his move. Around them, the prisoners and guards screamed and wailed, trying in vain to get out of the room. It had transformed from a simple, confined visitation room into a cage of crossing spiked bars.

"Yeah? How's that knife feel?" Red lashed out with his spear, jabbing Bogey hard in the shoulder and dodging backwards before the man could lift his heavy knife fast enough for a swing. "Feel like it's going to let you? Feel like you can do anything?" He lashed out again and again, piercing through Bogey's skin and muscle, blood draining through the grated floor into the abyss below. "What're you gonna do now? Huh, imitator?" Try as he might to lift his knife in time to block, it was no use. Red landed blow after blow, bringing Bogey to the floor. "That's right, you better bow down!"

After one more thrust, Red yanked his spear out, stepping back. "Know what? I don't care. Bring her to Valtiel. Do it for all I care. But you know what?" He lifted the spear like a javelin, flinging it to the wall. Alessa's scream rang in the metal of Bogey's helmet as the spear pinned her to the cage wall. "You'll bring her back in pieces!" Red reached down, yanking Bogey up from the floor by the collar of his helmet, the spikes within stabbing into his head. "Do you hear me? In PIECES!"

Bogey bolted up from the couch, taking a hard breath in. No. No, this wasn't the prison. He wasn't losing to Red. He quickly pushed himself up from the couch, running up the stairs. "Alessa?"


	14. Ch 14 DDDD&D

"Oh. My. _God_, have you seen that old hag wandering around?" The bubble head nurse pulled on the wrist of her glove, tightening the latex on her hand. "I mean please. She's hobbling around as if her animator didn't even know how people walk."

"I _know_! Have you seen her shoes?" The faceless nurse shook her head, shifting her weight from one lingere-wrapped leg to the other. "They're not even shoes! They're boxes!" She shook her head again, wiping her scalpel on her dress. "I don't get why Harry didn't kill her like he did all the others. Should have just put her out of her misery."

While the two chatted in the hall of Alchemilla, another bounded over, her bobbed hair swinging about her bandage-wrapped face. "Girls!" Her voice urgent and whining, she waved her hands frantically. "Girls, he's gone!"

"What? Who's gone?"

"That red devil! He's finally gone!"

"Well, heck, girl, what's so bad about that?"

The arcade nurse anxiously pattered from foot to foot. "He's gone but the new one's gone too! Valtiel can't find either of them!"

"Wait." The faceless nurse lifted her scalpel. "The new one? That hunky one?"

"Mhm! Mhm!" The three nurses all panicked at once, screaming, flailing their scalpels and landing long slices on each other as they all cried out. Calming a moment later, the bandaged arcade nurse continued, tossing her head to flip her hair back. "I called Brookhaven and they haven't been seen there, either!"

"What about Cedar Grove?" The faceless nurse hissed. "That red devil was saying he wanted to 'try out' the Remnants." She shook her head. "But who cares about him? What happened? Why's the new guy gone?"

The arcade nurse sighed softly, shrugging and clasping her hands in front of her hips. "I don't know..." She fidgeted a bit, nudging her foot into the dirty floor. "...I finished it."

"Ooh, let me see it!" The nurse hesitantly reached into her pocket, pulling out a small, hand-sized doll. The doll appeared to be stitched from flesh and surgical thread, a hunk of metal attached to the middle of its shoulders in a triangle shape. Around the doll's waist, a thin piece of gauze was wrapped as a makeshift kilt. "Aww, that's so cute!"

"Do you think he'll like it?" The arcade nurse lifted it up, holding it close to herself. "I stuffed it with hair and injected some blood into it... So it's all soft and it smells nice..."

"Oh, honey, he'll love it!" The bubble head nurse waved a hand. "We gotta find him, though!" She paused. "Hmm... I think I know how we'll do it, too..."

The trio made their way out of Alchemilla, heading out across the town. After a long walk and a long descent under the amusement park, the three arrived at a particular door. The bubble head nurse stepped forward, knocking three times. After a moment of waiting, the door swung open, Valtiel's twitching head greeting the three. "Yeah? What?"

"Valtiel. We need to get Red back here."

The valet of God stared at the three of them, his head twiching now and then. "...Bullshit."

"Have you figured out how to get the new one back yet then?"

"Who, Macho? He's busy filming."

Bubble nurse tossed her hands up. "Ugh, no, not him!"

"What? The wimpy one?"

"The _sensitive_ one. Get it right." The three stepped closer, Bubble nurse's fingers pressed to Valtiel's chest, prodding him back. "Now, can you summon him or not?"

"Look, I don't get why you're all fans of his, but-"

The three nurses squealed the word "What?" in unison. Shortly following, they all leaned in towards him, raising their scalpels.

Valtiel leaned back, raising his red hands. "...Alright. Look. I can get Red over here. Just give me about a day and I'll have him back."

"That's better!" The nurses stalked off, all of them watching Valtiel as he timidly closed his door. The faceless nurse nodded. "He better be scared. He sure deserves it."

"But won't we be screwed if we get Red back here?" Arcade stopped, taking hold of the other nurses' arms. "You know... Literally?"

"Nope." Bubble patted Arcade's head. "Dear, we won't have to worry about it. I know just who to ask for some help."

Returning to the dreary fog world, the nurses gathered up in one of the town's many street intersections. Bubble lifted her hands around her mouth area, calling into the sky. "Whitey! Whitey, come here, please!"

From up above, a thick Russian accent replied. "One moment."

"Honey, there's no time for the signal. Come down here! We need to talk to you!"

"Fine." Bubble yanked the two other nurses back, moving just in time for White Hunter to slam down onto the pavement from above. The metal-headed man straightened up from his crouch, lifting his gigantic switchblade onto his shoulder. He was identical to the pyramid the trio of nurses hated so much, but just like Red, he looked the part for his name. He was pale white, his helmet painted in varying shades of cream. "Zdravstvuĭte, damy. What do you need?"

"Well, it's sort of a complex problem..." Bubble clasped her hands behind her back, tilting her head. "See, we need someone like you to help us out tomorrow. That nice big blade of yours is really important... How well can you aim with it?"

"Complexity doesn't bother me," he gruffly replied. From above, a bullet fired into the hole of his helmet. With a grunt, he lifted his sheathed blade from his shoulder, slamming one end of it to the ground. From the other end, the blade shot out, reaching impossibly far into the air. Up above, a scream sounded. The nurses waited, watching with interest as White Hunter held his pose. Down the blade slid a mangled, winged creature, impaled on the metal shaft. "My aim with Sasha is good. Good enough for you?"

Bubble laughed, nodding. "Oh, yes. Yes, I think you'll do just fine!"


	15. Ch 15  Dishy Washies

"She's not here." Bogey stopped halfway up the stairs, turning quickly to head back down. In his hurry, he tripped over the long kilt covering his legs, falling metal head over clumsy feet down the stairs. Crash-landing at the foot of the stairs, his legs against the front wall of the house, he took a moment to recover from the pain of his helmet's spikes driven in like nails into his head. Elle hurried over, blinking as she saw his position. She shook her head, offering him a hand. "I brought her over to preschool with Josh. She said she wanted to see what it was like."

With a defeated, flailing swing of his arm, Bogey took hold of her hand and yanked himself up from the floor. "Oh." After reaching his feet, he smoothed his kilt out, making sure it wasn't positioned in an embarrassing manner. "Where's Alex?"

"At work." Elle shrugged, heading back to the kitchen. Bogey watched her walk off. Should he follow her? Would she be bothered if he did? Screw it. He followed along behind her, glancing about. Dishes sat in the sink, foamy mounds of bubbles surrounding them. Elle glanced back to him as she pulled her yellow gloves on. "Dry some for me?"

Bogey stared at the scene. Girl. Counter. Water. Silverware. If he grabbed one of the knives from the sink, he could hold it to her throat and push her down over the sink without any trouble. Then he'd be free to-

He hastily grabbed a towel, draping it over his hands. "Yeah." Elle picked out a piece of silverware, wiped it down, then dropped it into Bogey's waiting towel. A knife. It was as though she were asking him to do it. It wasn't as though he wouldn't enjoy it. Heck, she was married. She probably would enjoy it, too. It was set up like one of those videos Red always watched. The housewife at home all alone, the guy shows up, she tells him about how deprived she is, and then Red falls out of his chair into a puddle of something white. Well, maybe it wouldn't happen exactly like that. He quickly dried the knife off, placing it on the counter. "So... Uh..." He cleared his throat tentatively. "How are things?"

"Well, Josh slept with me and Alex last night. Said he had a nightmare." She handed a spoon to Bogey. "I know Alex thinks you're the reason why, but..." She paused a moment, waiting for him to set the spoon down before handing him a fork. "What happened between you two? Is it just because of where you're from?" She looked up at Bogey, her eyes filled with concern. "He won't tell me. I tried asking him, but he just changed the subject."

Bogey dried the fork with care. Here was his chance. He could be the man for her that Alex wasn't. He could prove himself! He placed the fork down on the counter. Who was he kidding? She was happily married. It wasn't as though she was clinging to him, begging for him to take her. Wouldn't that have been wonderful... Still, he could at least offer her the truth. Valtiel would have thrown a fit, but he was across the lake. What would he do about it? "I exist for a reason. See..." He leaned on the counter as he gathered his thoughts. "I'm... sort of a judge. Well... Not really. More just an executioner." He looked over to Elle. She seemed to be waiting for him to finish, as though she were hoping he was simply making a metaphor. "...The kind that kills people." She raised her brows, leaning away. "Guilty people. Not just anyone." He shook his head, nudging the fork and spoon closer to the knife in an orderly line. "One of the guilty people that I was sent to punish was Adam Shepherd."

Her eyes widened. "You killed his father?"

Bogey sighed, nodding. "Yeah. I did. He didn't..." Suddenly, his mind stalled. He had killed him because of the broken pact, hadn't he? Well, yes, but what was this doubt that nagged at him? It was the manner of the kill. It had to be. Bogey had never really enjoyed his job. Valtiel and Red pointed it out quite often that he was a sissy. Why, then, had he enjoyed that one moment? That one single moment...

Bogey yanked his thoughts away from the ambiguity, looking back to Elle. She was still standing there, waiting for a straight answer. "Look. It was because he didn't hold up his end of the pact. I was sent to do him in because of it." He reached into the sink, searching around in the water. "Remember what I said before dinner, though?" Finding a piece of silverware, he pulled it out. Another knife. He gazed at it a moment, watching it glint in the light streaming in from the windows. It was hardly a weapon of passionate crimes and zealous murder. The knife's point was rounded, edged with a dull serration. Bogey placed the towel on the counter, moving the knife in his hand. Holding it gently by the blade, he held it out to Elle. "It's not going to happen again. Alex is safe from me."

Elle blinked, her eyes darting from him to the knife. She carefully took hold of its handle, Bogey's hand dropping from it after he became certain she had a grip on it. The two resumed working in silence. Cars drove by occasionally on the street outside the house. The dishes drifted in the sink with Elle's movements, producing muted, drum-like noises. Silverware clattered quietly as Bogey placed it on the counter. As Elle handed a plate to him, she finally spoke up again. "So what's with the helmet? Why wear it when you can take it off?"

Bogey carefully took the plate in his towel-draped hands. "Not sure what would happen if I did take it off for a long time."

"Who put it on you?"

"Two others like me."

She handed him another plate. "There are others?" After he nodded, she furrowed her brow. "How many?"

"Dunno." He set the plate on top of the other. "Oh. That reminds me. Remember that 'friend' I said I was going to meet here?"

"Yeah... What ever happened with that?"

"He's in prison. But if he gets out somehow... I think he might come over here." He accepted another plate from her. "Look. If a guy comes around who's shorter than me, wearing a helmet that's red and has a square hole in it, don't let him in."

"Why's he in prison?" She paused. "...Wait, if he's so terrible, why are you friends with him?"

"Not really friends... Just sort of associated with him. That's all."

"How so?"

Bogey hesitated. "Well... Our helmets are sort of similar..." After she handed him a plate, he began drying it thoughtfully. "...Well. Not really. They're both metal and pointed, but his is a different shape and has a hole in it... I don't think his has spikes in it, either. And we're not really dressed the same, either. He's got really weird hands, too..." What was it Red had said? He had said that he was a pyramid head while Bogey was just some American knockoff. Well, the knockoff part was sort of right due to the fact that they both had metal on their heads, but apart from that, how were they similar? Their knives? Red didn't even have his anymore!

Elle shrugged, waiting for him to set down the plate. "Sounds to me like you two aren't anything alike."

"Y'know, I'm starting to think that very same thing."


	16. Ch 16  Farewell, Sweet Cellmate

Red lifted his thumb to his helmet's hole, his tongue snaking out to wet his thumb. With a swift flick, he turned the page of his book. "Oh, Bella, honey, why can't you just pick _both_ of them?" He shook his head in dismay.

Robert peeked out from the lower bunk. "Huh?"

"Oh, chomo, I just don't know what to think of these two! On the one hand, Jacob is really sensitive to her needs, but you know, Edward's such a..." He stopped, his book falling from his hands to land on the bed. But how could that be? He was laying directly below the book on the bed. How had it fallen through him? "Oh dear."

Robert's eyes widened. He fell off his bed, hastily getting to his feet and backing up. "You're disappearing, man!"

"So I am!" He waved to Robert. "Later, then. Tell the guards that I'm going back to Silent Hill!" Ahh, Valtiel, he did come through after all! As Red drifted between planes of existence, he repositioned himself to a standing position, ready to land on the summoning circle. But as his feet met the floor, they were violently yanked off their footing. There before him stood White Hunter and three nurses. Red looked down, finding that the white pyramid's switchblade was extended into the leg of his jumpsuit, pinning him terrifyingly close to his most private area. "Oh god!" Red stayed frozen against the wall for the most part, his lower half attempting to carefully yank free of the knife. "Dude! What the hell?"

"Hello, Red." The one nurse the pyramid recognized stepped forward, her blank face leaning in towards him. "We need you to do something for us!"

Red looked from the bubble-head nurse to the blade. "...This had better be important."

"You need to bring our sweet Bogeyman back to us!" She straightened up, folding her arms. "As soon as possible, by the way. We're not a very patient bunch."

"Oh, hell, what do you want him here for? He's such a downer..." He tried in vain to tug himself from the knife. "Whitey. Gimme a break here."

"Net, moĭ drug, you stay put for now."

Red looked around frantically, spotting Valtiel behind his desk. "Hey! Frenchy! A little help here?" Valtiel shrugged, watching the nurses close in on Red.

"Listen, you devil, we don't care if you understand or not. We want him back here and that's final. Do you get that at least?"

Red leaned back against the wall. "But girls! Eheh... Come on, aren't I enough for you?" The nurses erupted in a fit of swings and flailing strikes with their scalpels. Blow after blow landing on Red, all he could do was threaten them repeatedly with non-consentual sex and try in vain to push them back. "Alright, alright, fine!" He finally managed to shove them away. White Hunter finally released him from the switchblade, allowing the red pyramid to crack his back. "I'll get your stupid, prissy lover boy back." He growled. "Seeing as you're twisting my arm over him..."

"Much better." Bubble nodded. "Got a plan?"

"Sort of. Look, the thing is that he has no interest in coming back." Arcade dropped her hands to her sides as Red spoke. "He said he hates it here, and I think he meant it."

Arcade lowered her head, her hair hanging like a privacy curtain over her wrapped face. No! How could Bogey be unhappy? Didn't he know? She knew how he felt. To be underappreciated, to be disliked... Hardly anyone had seen her game. She had had even less of a reason to be in hers. Faceless wrapped an arm around Arcade's shoulders. "It's okay, honey. We'll get him back here somehow."

"I think I know how, too." Red turned to Valtiel. "Get the rule book out, Ol' Yeller." Valtiel tossed an old, heavy book to Red. The pyramid quickly paged through it. "Pendulums... Pipes... Gold pipes, lead pipes, rusty pipes, silver pipes, steel pipes... Aha! Plots!" Tracing his fingers down the page, he read on. "'In the pursuit of a more perfect franchise, plots must be carefully decided upon by Team Silent of Konami." Red nodded. "Alright! All we need to do is get them to make a sequel to Homecoming and make the Bogeyman ending canon! Then, Shepherd's Glen will be such a mess that he'll come back here!"

"But Red," Valtiel said, lifting a hand, "that could take years. Besides, Homecoming was made by Double Helix, not Team Silent."

"Hrm... You're right..." Red tapped his helmet thoughtfully. "If we want this to work, we'll have to go through them... They're the ones who have the models and everything." He looked back to the rule book. "Well. This thing's outdated, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Sort of. It was written after The Room."

"Red, figure something out," Bubble prodded, setting her hands on her hips. "We can't wait long enough for a whole new game!"

"Okay, okay, okay..." He sighed, leaning back against the wall. "What would bring him back here, though? What would be so irresistable, so desirable that he would come running back?"

Faceless shrugged. "Butter cakes?"

Red shook his head. "No, but I like how you think." He shook his head again. "Come on. Let's go find his lair. Maybe we can figure something out from there."


	17. Ch 17 Gossip Hound

"Everyone!" Miss Nelson stood before her class of preschoolers, gesturing to the new girl. "We have a very special visitor with us today! This is Alessa, Josh's special friend. Can we all say hi to Alessa?" The class of youngsters all greeted her in unison, some of them waving and smiling their gap-toothed smiles.

Alessa smiled back, waving to them all. "Hi!"

"Now, Alessa is a very special visitor from a town not far from here... She's from Silent Hill, across the big lake." The teacher looked back to Alessa, bent at the hips to her level. "Can you tell us about Silent Hill, Alessa?"

With a beaming smile, Alessa nodded. "People die there! And get raped and stuff if Red's nearby!"

Miss Nelson straightened up, looking to the class. "Okay then! Let's take a look at the alphabet!" Alessa walked over to Josh, sitting down beside him. "Now, class, can anyone tell me what this letter is?" She pointed to her easel, her finger tracing underneath a large construction paper cutout of the letter M. As the class said the letter, yet again in unison, the teacher smiled. "What words start with this letter?"

"Mommy!"

"Melon!"

"Magic!"

"Murder!"

The teacher winced. "Okay, then, very good! Let's look at today's number." She flipped the page on her easel, displaying a large number four. "How about this number? Can you count to this number on your fingers?" As the class raised their hands, proudly displaying four fingers on each hand, she smiled, nodding. "Very good! Let's count things to four! Like this..." She thought for a moment. "I have... _four_ cats!"

"I have _four_ hotweels!"

"I have _four_ barbies!"

"The founding families killed _four_ children!"

Miss Nelson stared at Alessa. The girl smiled sweetly, waiting for the lesson to continue. "...Okay, class, it's playtime! Let's all get our toys out and have fun." The children scrambled to their feet as though a dinner bell had just rung, tearing the plastic bins from their shelves and dumping out their various toys. Alessa watched the commotion, tilting her head. She looked up at the teacher questioningly. "You can play now, Alessa." Miss Nelson nodded encouragingly to her. "Just play nice, okay?" Alessa nodded, trotting off to join the children and pick out a toy. Miss Nelson turned to her young assistant. "Watch the pack, Marlene. I need to make a phone call." With that, she slipped quietly from the room, heading down the hall to her office.

After a quick look through her records, Miss Nelson dialed a number on her phone, waiting for the receiver to pick up. A young woman answered. "Hello?"

"Hi, Mrs. Shepherd, this is Miss Nelson at the preschool... Do you have a moment?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure, what's up?"

"I just needed a phone number from you real quick... I need to talk to Alessa's parents."

"Ah, he's here, just a second." Miss Nelson raised her brows. Elle was hosting some other man at her house? She wondered if Alex knew.

"Uh. Hello?"

She shook off her concerns. She'd gossip with the girls later about it. Maybe they'd know something more. "Hi, am I speaking with Alessa's father?"

"Yeah. Who's this?"

"Oh, this is Miss Nelson, I teach here at the school..."

"...What'd she do?"

"Well. I just want to tell you right now that you have a very bright little girl. She has a very... wide vocabulary."

"She didn't cuss, did she?"

"No, no, no, I just... She's a little morbid. I don't think the other kids quite get it, but she was telling us about the town you two are from, and-"

"Oh god."

"...Well. She was talking about people dying and... Well. Rape."

"Yeah, she ah... She saw a few things that a little girl shouldn't really see."

"I was wondering if you could maybe come in and talk to me about this. I'm a little worried."

"Come in?"

"Yes, to the school."

"I... Just a second." The teacher waited as a hand firmly clamped down on the phone receiver, blocking her from hearing anything more than snippits of the conversation. She could hear the man and Elle talking. What they spoke of, however, remained a mystery. Soon enough, the man returned. "Yeah. When do you want me to come by?"

"Later today, if you could. Maybe when you come to pick her up."

"Alright. I'll see you then."

"Thanks!"

"Yep..."

"Mmhm. Bye." She hung up the phone, her hand lingering on the receiver handle. The girls would be interested to hear all the juicy details. If only she had heard them! Ahh, that girlish curiosity of others' affairs. In forty years, she still hadn't lost it. Surely there must be some way of finding out more. Again she referred to her records, looking up another number. She hesitated, shook her head, then grabbed the city phone book. After looking up yet another number, she dialed.

"Shepherd's Glen Police Department. This is Sheriff Wheeler. How can I help you?"

"Hello, this is Miss Nelson at the school. Is Mr. Shepherd in?"

"Oh, hey, Sam! Yeah, you caught us in the middle of lunch. Hold on."

Miss Nelson waited patiently as the phone changed hands. Another voice greeted her, younger and rougher. It reminded her of her favorite movies. "Yeah. This is Shep."

"Hi, Mr. Shepherd, this is Miss Nelson at the school... You know your son's little friend? Alessa?"

"...Yeah."

"Could you tell me a bit about her parents?"

The receiver shifted on his end a bit. "Well. She's only got her dad as far as I know... He and Alessa are staying at my house while he gets settled in."

There went all the juicy gossip! "How nice of you to do that for them. I'm going to be meeting him later today... Anything I should know about him?"

"He dresses kind of weird... Doesn't like to wear a shirt."

"Oh my..."

"He's a m-a body builder or something. Really tall."

"Really?" She would have something to tell the girls after all.

"Yeah. When were you going to meet him?"

"After school is done for the day."

"Yeah... I'll head over too. Elle will probably have to drive him over, so I'll come by to pick Josh up."

"Sounds good. I'll look forward to seeing you!"

"Yep..."


	18. Ch 18 Real Men Look Fabulous

Bogey gently placed the phone receiver back onto its hook, then fiercely grappled with his helmet. "I'm supposed to meet her? What the hell am I gonna do now?" He looked over to a startled Elle. "Has she met Alex?" As she nodded, he wrapped his arms around his helmet, giving it a shove into his face. Sometimes, it just felt good to give himself a good jab in the face. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck..." He dropped his arms to his sides. "So I have to wear it. Great."

"Hey, come on, it won't be that bad..."

"But look at me! Look at me and tell me you honestly wouldn't call the cops if I showed up at a school!"

Elle did as asked, giving him a quick once-over. The woman's brow quirked. "...Okay, you have a point."

He nodded quickly. "I don't have any normal clothes... I can't take this stupid thing off..." He sighed, pressing his hands to the side panels of his helmet. "Damnit..."

"Well... Actually, we might be able to figure out your clothing situation."

With her dishwashing gloves removed and the sink rinsed clean of soap bubbles, Elle led her guest up the stairs. After he halted with uncertainty in front of hers and Alex's bedroom, she yanked him in by the arm, dragging him over to the closet. "Okay! So. You're not the right size for any of Alex's everyday clothes, but I think maybe his sweat pants would fit you... Probably one of his undershirts, too." She opened the closet door, pointing to the right side of it. "All that on that side is his stuff."

Bogey gave the closet a glance. Piles of shoe boxes littered the floor of the closet. "...He's really into shoes."

Elle smirked. "Nah. Those are mine." She turned, heading back to the door. "Oh, um..." She paused, turning to look him over. "...You have um..." The woman pointed down. "You've got some on, right?" Bogey stared at her for a moment, his head slowly tilting in confusion. "Underwear."

In his mind, he returned to Silent Hill, back shortly after he had finished up with his game. He remembered the sight that had greeted him in his lair. He hadn't even gotten anything set up properly. No furniture, no tools, no labyrinth, nothing. He had, however, managed to bring in a box of his boxers into the musty room, deciding he would at least have those on hand. Of course, when he had finally returned after all his work, he had found his box of boxers had been torn apart into tiny pieces, his boxers likewise shredded and strewn about the room. A bloody note had been left behind. He remembered the slow reach he had made for the note while he was still getting over the shock of seeing his things so mangled. "A hearty welcome to you, prettyboy," it had read, "but real men go commando."

Bogey snapped back to the present, shaking his head to Elle. The girl sighed. "Okay... Well. Will you be alright without?"

"Heh. Real men go commando." As much as he had hoped she would take it humorously, the awkward silence between them said otherwise. He nodded quickly after it became apparent. "Yeah. I'll be fine without."

With Elle out of the room, Bogey found himself free to explore as he pleased. He quickly unbuckled his ridiculous amount of belts, dropped his kilt to the floor, then pulled on a pair of grey sweat pants. Leaning over the bed, he gave the dial on the back of his helmet a hard turn, allowing the helmet halves to fall off. A box of tissues later, the blood from his fresh wounds was mopped up and on the wifebeater went over his head. The man couldn't help but step over to the closet door mirror.

Huh. He looked almost like a regular person. A horribly scarred, bloodstained, and slightly oversized person, but a person nonetheless. He lifted a hand to his hair, tossing the black, soaked mess this way and that. Always wet. He figured it must have been the humidity that was getting to him. Still, even in Silent Hill, he could sometimes feel a droplet trickle down the back of his neck. He turned a bit, inspecting himself. He could definitely use a bath. The thought of a bathtub somehow made him uncomfortable, though. Perhaps he would just wipe down with a wet towel instead. That could work too, right? Surely it would count.

Bogey's eyes wandered from his reflection to the closet. Alex's wardrobe had been boring. Here and there was a T-shirt with a smart-ass phrase printed on it, but before him, he found a bounty of knowledge just waiting to be tapped into. Hints of satin and bits of lace peeked out at him from Elle's side of the closet. With a furtive glance to the door, he stepped into the closet, careful to avoid the shoe boxes strewn about. Once safely standing inside the closet, he carefully picked through the shelves above the hangers, inspecting boxes.

Somewhere... Surely it would be somewhere! As he found a box marked with a red Sharpie heart, his own heart thumped in excitement. Yes! Jackpot! He lifted the lid of the box, his hand sliding in. Ohh, yes. Fine lace met his fingertips, teasing him with the possibilities of what he could be feeling. With a pinch and a lift, he pulled a meager slice of cloth from the box. He gazed up at his prize of a lacy black thong, its single piece of wide cloth translucent.

"How are things fitting in there, Bogey?"

Bogey quickly pushed the box back against the wall of the closet, thong in hand. "Uh." He stumbled out of the closet through the piles of shoe boxes, returning to his helmet. "Just a second. Putting my face on!"

As Bogey scrambled to lift his helmet onto his shoulders, Elle chuckled from behind the door. "I'm just dying to see what you look like in his stuff... Can I come in?"

"One second! It's not on yet!" He blinked down at his hand, spotting one of the slim straps of the thong hanging out from between his palm and his helmet. Oh. Right. He still had it with him.

"I've seen you without it." As the doorknob turned, he threw the thong into the bed of spikes inside his helmet, quickly lifting it up and slamming it shut onto his head as Elle stepped in. She looked him over, smiling. "How's it all fit?"

"Oh." Bogey coughed, smoothing down the wifebeater. "Fits alright. A little tight..." Tight was an understatement. His only pair of boxers, the ones he had worn ever since the day he found the rest of them shredded into confetti, were pressed against his legs, a sensation he couldn't remember from any time before. His kilt was nice and loose, allowing for plenty of breathing room.

"Well." Elle shrugged. "At least you've got the chest for it, right? C'mon."

"One more thing." Elle paused, looking back to him questioningly as he raised a finger. "I can't imagine I smell very good."

She winced, nodding. "Yeah... See, I didn't wanna say anything, but you're pretty rancid." She beckoned him to follow, leading him into the bathroom. Once there, she yanked a drawer open and retrieved a bottle of Axe, giving it a shake before pulling the cap off. She sprayed a generous amount onto him, spraying him up and down with the man-smell neutralizer, circling around him to cover him fully.

"That bad, huh?"

"Yup."

Bogey glanced around the bathroom. It was a rather large room, as far as bathrooms went. Very clean, too. Maybe it just seemed clean, though, since the ones he had seen were all bloodstained and dirty. But no, this one was nice and clean, with two separate sinks, a laundry hamper, a toilet of course, and... A bathtub. "So I smell okay now?" Elle nodded. Bogey started for the door. "Good. Let's go-"

"Wait up a second." She reached out, catching hold of the back of his collar. "We need to get your arms cleaned up, too."

"No, I don't think we do." He glanced back at the bathtub. It didn't make much sense to him that he would hate to be near it, but he wasn't interested in the why right now.

"But they're all stained-"

Bogey reached back, yanking her hand off his collar. "_No_." As he strode out to the stairs, she followed close behind.

"Look, we have plenty of time before preschool ends. It'll only take a second!" She paused her argument as she descended the stairs behind him, reaching out to catch his shirt again at the foot of the steps. "Bogey!" Something in her voice caused him to stop, his legs going rigid. He turned a bit, looking back at her. Oh, she did _not_ look happy. Not one bit. With a voice that was crisp and to the point, she quietly spoke. "You are _not_ showing up at the school with whatever all that is on your arms. I don't care if it's paint or ketchup or blood or whatever. You're not going there with it on your arms."

"...Yes, ma'am." With a yank, a turn, and a shove to his back, he marched back up the stairs, Elle's hand still holding tight to his shirt.

"What is it with you and being clean, anyways?"

He lifted his hands in a shrug. "I don't like it."

"Why not?"

"I just don't."

"No reason?"

"...I don't like bathtubs."

She sighed, shaking her head. "You sound like Alex..." As they reached the bathroom, she closed the door behind herself, stepping over to the tub. "When we were rennovating the place, we had the money in our budget to get a hot tub. I thought it sounded like a great idea, but he wouldn't have it. He didn't even have a good reason." Bending down to reach one of the water levers, she gave it a gentle turn, letting the water heat up in a slow stream. "He kept saying it was a hazard. How hazardous could a hot tub be?"

"Well..."

Elle hurried over to the sink, bending over yet again to pull open a bottom drawer. Bogey gave her rear end a furtive look, straightening his posture as soon as she stood up, a towel in her hands. "I mean come on. What, would it get too hot?"

"Maybe." Bogey folded his arms across his chest, his helmet grating against his bloodied skin like sandpaper. He wasn't sure what all Alex had told Elle. From the sound of it, though, it hadn't been much. Would it have been right to reveal to her what had happened? Would that be violating some sort of man-code? Perhaps if he chose his words carefully, he would learn more. If he was going to be living with them for any amount of time, he decided it would be best to know as much as he could. "I dunno... Maybe he has a fear of water or something."

"I wouldn't blame him, really." Elle reached down to the tub's flow of water, testing its temperature. Satisfied, she then held the towel under the flow, soaking it liberally. "His brother drowned when he was just a kid. Still, it's just a tub, right?" She lifted a hand to his elbow, tugging on his arm. Bogey stretched his arm out in front of himself, feeling his heart give off a beat as she started scrubbing at his arm. She was washing him! Was this a moment? Were they having a moment all their own? Her brow furrowed as she realized her lack of progress. "...What the heck is this stuff? Tattoo ink?" Giving him a couple more hard scrubs, she stopped. "Oh. I'm not hurting you, am I?" Bogey quickly shook his head. She nodded, leaving the towel hanging on his arm while she returned to the sink. "Guess it'll take some soap after all... So what is that stuff?"

Bogey tilted his head back, thinking. "Uh... I don't know, actually. I think they've always been that way."

"Oh yeah?" She picked the towel off his arm, dousing it with a squirt of soap. "That's one heck of a birth mark, then." Elle again resumed her scrubbing, trying in vain to remove the stains. "Man... I'm not gonna have to go get the dish soap, am I?"

"I dunno... What's it matter, though? I already don't look normal."

"It's either this stuff comes off or your helmet does." She shrugged. "I'm not sure how we'll explain that to her, though, either." She lowered the towel from his arm, dropping her arms to her sides. "Still no difference. I guess that settles it." She bent down, rinsing the soap from the towel for a moment, hanging it afterwards on the faucet and turning off the water.

"Wait, what?"

She straightened up, stepping behind him. "It's coming off."

"No!" He took a quick step forward, only to be caught by his collar.

"Come on, Bogey, hold still." Bogey whimpered as she closed a hand down on his helmet's large dial, giving it a turn. Wait! The thong! He held fast to his helmet as it unlocked, holding it on his head. "Drop it, Bogey."

He shook his head quickly. "No. I like it in here! It's... Private!" Suddenly he very much liked his helmet on his head. Yes. It would have to stay. What would she think if she saw what he had taken?

Elle rolled her eyes, taking hold of his arm to pull him out of the bathroom. "C'mon." As the helmet finally locked back into place, he followed her down the stairs and into the garage. Strangely enough, she opened the back door of the van for him, gesturing for him to climb in.

No sooner had he bent down to enter than she grabbed the dial again, turned it, and shoved him in, leaving his helmet to clatter down on the floor of the garage. "Hey!" Bogey looked back in astonishment as she shut the door behind him, the van doors locking with a push of her remote. She shook her head, bending down to pick up one piece of the helmet. _Don't look in it. Don't look in it. Don't look in it. _Bogey straightened up in the seat, watching from the van as Elle joined the two halves without so much as a glance to the interior and carried the assembled helmet inside the door, leaning it against the wall. Bogey breathed a deep sigh of relief. He watched as she disappeared inside the house, reappearing soon after with her purse on her shoulder. She closed the door and stepped aside from it for him to see as she attempted to turn the knob. Clearly it was locked. Bogey frowned.

Elle pressed a button on the wall, opening the garage door while she circled around to the driver side door. Bogey watched her as she settled in and buckled her seat belt. He shook his head slowly. "...You are an evil, evil woman."


	19. Ch 19 Good Heavens

"Well, girls! Here we are!"

The three nurses looked up at the awning guarding the entrance of a large building before them. "The Grand Hotel?" Bubble looked back to Red. "Why can't _you_ lurk in someplace nice like this?"

"I have standards, my dear." Red shrugged. "In we go!"

Red and the trio of nurses crept into the hotel, glancing about at the wreckage. Sure, it was a common sight in Silent Hill, but

_**OKAY NO.**_

_...What the hell._

_**Come on. He's the goddamn Red Pyramid Thing. **_

_Who's typing this?_

_**He's like the goddamn Batman, except he's the goddamn Red Pyramid. He should be raping their stupid nurse asses right now.**_

_Niq?_

_**Yes, it's me, now where's the rape scene you promised?**_

_Well, I planned on putting it much later. I figured it would just be another near miss or heavily implied scene, though._

_**Fuck that. Who are you trying to impress, the censors? I want to see Red deflowering these bitches.**_

_You do realize there's no way I'm going to draw that. Even if I write it, you won't be able to actually see it._

_**Elle too.**_

_Oh come on!_

_**I WANT ELLE TO GET RAPED.**_

_God you're impossible._

_**NOW.**_

…

_**ARE YOU WRITING THIS CHAPTER OR NOT**_

_I can't tell anymore._

_**DOOOOOOOOOO IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT RAAAAAAAAAPE HERRRRRRRRRRRRR**_

Red suddenly turned around to the three nurses and shouted "GOOD HEAVENS, LOOK AT THE TIME!" With that, he raped all three of them at once.

_**Wait. No. How's he doing it?**_

_You want fucking details?_

_**YES!**_

_You're shitting me._

_**No. Details. Now. **_

_What is it with you and_

_**NAME THE ORIFICES HE IS VIOLATING**_

_No. Use your fucking imagination._

_**I swear to god I'll delete your website if you don't do this for me.**_

_You're not Google._

_**Wanna bet?**_

_You weren't Google back in high school and you aren't Google now._

_**Says you.**_

_Okay, well thanks to your dumbfuckery, all three nurses got raped. Go find someone else's writing if you need to wank that badly._

_**What about Elle?**_

_I'm not getting Elle raped._

_**WHY?**_

_Because I don't have that planned for the story._

_**You should change that.**_

_...No._

_**WHY NOT.**_

_Because it's my fucking story that's why._

_**Technically it's Konami's.**_

_Yeah and Konami wasn't allowed to give Pyramid Head an actual penis. Now shut up, I'm losing my train of thought._

_**Bogey should rape her.**_

_...What?_

_**Bogey AND Red should rape her.**_

_What... No. Have you been reading at all into these characters?_

_**Yes.**_

_Obviously not._

_**They're pyramid heads THEY RAPE STUFF IT'S WHAT THEY DO ADJKLADJKL;DFJKL;FAADFSDFJKL;**_

…

…

_Are you done_

_**Rape her.**_

_Fuck you. I'll find them a mannequin or something._

_**Woot!**_

_Happy?_

_**Elle too.**_

_NO._

After finally calming his raging boner, Red strutted about the hotel, lifting a cigarette to his helmet. He whipped his lighter out, snapped it open, lit his cigarette with a few puffs, then snapped it shut yet again. The hotel was quiet, silent as can be. Red's lighter made a nearly offensive amount of noise compared to the express quietness of the place. He strode down to the hotel's basement, breaking a few doors in his pursuit of Bogey's lair. Luckily, Bogey still hadn't figured out how to set up a proper labyrinth. Red snickered a bit as he opened the deepest-set door of the basement, swinging it open.

There inside waiting for him was Bogey's room. A wooden table of various knives sat against one wall, all of them immaculately clean. Well, they were rusty. Red shook his head in dismay. Why was that guy such a priss? As he sorted through the knives and restraining implements, he tapped ashes from his cig onto the rim of his helmet. It was bad enough that he'd made a mockery of the whole pyramid head thing, but he had to go off and be a wuss, never willing to spill more blood than necessary. Red was certain of the American's virginity, too.

The pyramid started tossing the knives to the floor, sending them clattering one after another. There was definitely something underneath them. A bunch of magazines or something. Knife after knife flew off the table, revealing the surface to be covered by not magazines but polaroid photographs. One caught his eye immediately. A pretty blond woman gazed up at him from her white plastic frame, smiling happily. He lifted it from the table, giving it a good look. The colors were starting to bleed in places and mold had taken root in the corners, but aside from that, it was a regular photo. He turned it over, peering at the scrawled cursive writing.

_Elle came over today but she left with Alex right after she got here._

Red tilted his head, setting the photo aside. He picked up another. A photo of the lake. Again, he flipped it over, reading the writing.

_Cold water puts Bogeyman in the hospital and he'll never smile again._

The pyramid placed the photo on top of the lady's, certain he was onto something now. He squatted down, giving the table itself a look. Sure enough, a shallow drawer lay underneath the tabletop. With a yank, the drawer opened, revealing an unmarked videotape within. Grabbing the video and the photos, the pyramid hastily ran out of the room, giggling like a mad thief.


	20. Ch 20 Naughty Girl

Alex passed the phone receiver back to Wheeler, not even bothering to look at him. Wheeler frowned as Alex stared at the front desk at which the two sat, neglecting his sandwich. "You okay, Alex?"

Alex shook his head. "No."

"That guy, huh?" The young man nodded, closing his eyes and resting his forehead in his hand. "What's going on with him now?"

"He's been at my house all day. With Elle."

"Ohh..." Wheeler nodded slowly. "Afraid he's gonna try something?"

"He seems like an alright guy. That's the strangest part of it." Alex lowered his hand from his head, picking his sandwich back up. Grilled cheese with tomato. A nice sandwich Elle had made for him the night before. He could never get the cheese melted just right like she could. "I mean... I know what he is. Sort of..." He shook his head. "I know he's not a regular person, I mean. I don't think that kid of his is, either."

Wheeler shrugged. "Know what I like about being a small-town officer?"

Alex raised a brow, looking over to him. "Huh? What's that?"

"Nothing ever happens. Take the rest of the day off, go see what's going on at home. I'll be fine here."

"You sure about that?"

"Yep. Go make sure things are okay."

Alex headed out of the police station, climbed into his car, then set off for home. Upon arriving, he opened the garage door and found the garage unsettlingly empty. _They must have left already or something._ Parking inside, he headed in, his foot catching on the metal helmet by the door. _Strange_, he thought. _Didn't he say he wouldn't take that thing off?_ He shrugged, heading upstairs.

Alex changed out of his uniform and into a pair of easygoing jeans and a grey t-shirt, raising a brow at Elle's shoe boxes on the closet floor. They weren't an uncommon sight, but a few of them appeared to be smashed in. He looked up at his other clothes, realizing a few hangers were empty that should have been bearing clothes. Elle had a thing for colorful home implements, and the hangers were no exception. Two hangers, blue and pink, were empty on his side. He shook his head. _Bah, I've been at work all day... I probably just forgot that I wore that stuff._ After all, it wasn't as though he could remember what items of his had hung on them. He grabbed his dad's old jacket, pulling it on.

With his shoes back on his feet and his phone, wallet, and keys in the proper pockets, he returned to the garage. As he climbed into the driver's seat and buckled in, worries crept into the back of his mind, suggesting that he had more to be concerned about than a couple of empty hangers. Maybe they didn't go to the school. Could that guy even drive a car? Why was his helmet off? Was it so he wouldn't be easily recognized? Alex shook his head, starting up his car and backing out of the garage. He would surely find out soon enough.

It was a quick drive to the elementary school and a short walk up the sidewalk into the building. Alex glanced about at the empty hallway before him, trying to remember just where the room itself was. He walked slowly, his finger nudging his phone in his pocket. Something already had him nervous about all this. The man shuddered as a chill went up his spine, ducking into a nearby restroom. Maybe a bit of water on his face would help. He stepped around the divider wall, freezing where he stood.

There he was. That gigantic freak from that cursed town. He too had decided to wipe his face down, rubbing at it with a paper towel. He looked as though he had just doused his head in the sink, though, seeing as his dark brown hair was slicked down against his head. The sight of the man without his helmet, however, was not what threw Alex off. No, it was actually the fact that he was standing there wearing the clothes that had been missing from the hangers. Alex raised his brows, scoffing. "Really? Are you seriously wearing my stuff?"

Bogey stopped rubbing at his face, straightening up from the sink. He still held the paper towel to his face, spreading it across his features with his fingers as his reflection entered the mirror. "...Yeah. Sorry, did you want me to come here in a bloodstained flesh-kilt?"

Alex frowned, stepping over to a sink. "No... Forget I said anything." He yanked on the faucet handle marked with a red dot, waiting for the water to heat up. "So what'd you do? Rifle through my stuff?"

"Elle gave me this stuff to wear."

"Motherfucker," Alex muttered, sending a sideways glare at Bogey. "I guess she stomped all over her shoe boxes, too, right?"

"No, that was me. I'll repay her sometime."

"Gonna repay me for the food you've eaten at my house, too?"

Bogey grumbled, turning his head away from Alex as he lowered the paper towel. Alex found himself unable to help trying to peer at the man's reflection, seeing nothing but more of his slicked brown hair. "Alright, Alex. I'm sorry for being a burden. How about you apologize for the stick you've got lodged up your ass?"

"Can't look at me when you're talking?"

"What the hell are you doing here, anyways..."

Cupping his hand in the faucet's flow, Alex splashed the steaming water onto his face, wiping it off just as quickly. "I got a call from the teacher saying she was gonna meet you here later. I'm just here to pick up Josh so he can go home on time. Now be a man and look at me when you're talking."

"You wouldn't want that."

"Why the hell not?" Alex flicked the water off his hands, wiping them off on his coat. "Forget your makeup today or something?"

"I told you, I've got a bad scar-"

"Bullshit." Alex stepped over, grabbing Bogey by one strap of his wifebeater, yanking to turn him around. He seemed to have given up, turning with ease. Alex stumbled back into the paper towel dispenser, eyes wide. "What... What the fuck?"

Bogey sighed. "Told you you wouldn't want-"

"Why the hell do you look like me?" Alex jabbed a finger through the air at Bogey, staring at his own face as it gazed back at him. "What the hell?"

"Look, I don't know." He lifted a hand to his wet hair, tossing it to the side from his eyes. "Some say it's because I'm a manifestation of your anger towards your father. Others say it's because you were the cause of the darkness spreading to Shepherd's Glen. I don't know what to think of it."

Alex stared at Bogey longer, his heart still racing. "But... What... Why would you exist just because of me?"

"Because that's how it works. I don't know why, but that's how it works." Bogey lifted a hand, pointing to Alex. "Listen, though. That teacher is gonna realize what's weird about this if she sees us together. We can't be there at the same time. Once class is done, you go get Josh and _leave_. Understand?"

Alex's brow lowered as he straightened up from the wall. "Wait, you're ordering me around?"

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"Well... No..."

"Then shut up and do as I say."

"Wait." Alex shook his head. "Wait, wait, I've got it. Stay here. Don't kill anyone." Before Bogey could protest the assumption, he left the bathroom. A few minutes later he returned, carrying a pair of sunglasses. "Here. Put them on." Bogey frowned, took the sunglasses and slid them on his head. Alex pulled his phone from his pocket, checking the time. "Alright. Dry your hair and let's go."

Bogey sighed, grabbed a few paper towels, then tried in vain to dry his hair with them. Alex watched, frowning. The towels grew sopping wet, completely soaked with a seemingly endless supply of water. Bogey shrugged, balling the towels up and tossing them to the trash. "I'll tell her I just got out of the shower or something." As Alex's eyes fell to the man's stained arms, he sighed. "...And that I had a freak accident at a tattoo parlor. Let's go."

"Bogey!" Elle's voice from outside the restroom startled the two men, causing them both to jump. "Bogey, get over here, something's wrong!" The two hurried out, nearly running into a panicked Elle. She raised her brows. "Alex? What're you doing here?"

Alex shook his head, setting his hands on her shoulders. "Nevermind that. What's wrong?"

"It's Alessa... I was watching the class from the door, but she got into an argument with someone, and then weird stuff started happening!"

The three hurried onward to the classroom's door. Elle pointed to the door's tall, narrow window. Bogey and Alex peered in, startled to see the cheerful classroom in the process of being replaced with the blood, rust, and metal implements of the Otherworld. Alex's jaw dropped. "What the... Oh my god, it's back!"

Bogey, however, simply sighed, pushing Alex aside. "No, it's not." He grabbed the door handle, turned it, and stepped in amongst the frightened children. There in the middle of the room floated Alessa, her hair untied and swirling about her head. Her eyes were closed in concentration and her arms were spread wide at her sides, her hands beckoning more of the classroom to be eaten away. "Alessa." She continued to float, though her brow lowered as she fought to keep her concentration. "_Alessa!_" he repeated, reaching out to grab hold of her arm.

Alessa gasped, her eyes snapping open as she fell to the floor on her rear end. The room's transformation stopped abruptly. She looked up slowly to Bogey, lips parted. "...Um." She jumped to her feet while the children ran out of the room screaming. "Stacy was being mean! Then Billy-"

Bogey scooped her off her feet, carrying her around her waist under his arm. "I don't want to hear it, young lady."

"But DAD!"

"You are in DEEP TROUBLE!" He pushed past Alex and Elle, striding towards the nearest exit. "I don't care how mean they were being. That's no reason to bring the Otherworld over!"

"But! But!"

"No buts!" He shoved the door open, stepping out onto the sidewalk and lowering himself to one knee. "That was a _very bad thing to do_!" He pulled Alessa onto his knee and gave her five good spanks. The girl cried, kicking at him and flailing her arms, but he held fast to her, keeping her from squirming away as he passed judgment.


	21. Ch 21 Knock Knock, Angel

Valtiel carefully lifted the king of hearts up alongside the two of spades, delicately placing them with their edges aligned atop the queen of clubs. It was the best house of cards he had made so far, an exercise he had taken to in an effort to reduce his twitching and unsteady hands. He released the cards from his hands as though he had just let his first born ride their bike alone. A satisfied sigh escaped him. Four layers! Four layers of success and progress!

"VALTIEL! HEY!"

The faceless man looked to the door. "...Oh no." He lifted his hands protectively around his cards. "Be gentle with the door!" Ignorant of his request, Red charged through the door, slamming it off its hinges and into the floor. Down the house of cards tumbled, falling into a flat stack atop his desk. Valtiel sighed deeply.

"Valtiel! Look! Look what I found!" Red thrust a video tape in front of Valtiel's faceless face. "Look! Get the VCR ready!"

"What happened to yours?"

"It broke. Now hurry up!"

The valet of God stood from his seat, stepping over to his small television set. He had managed to stockpile a few for himself when that trucker had shown up and broken the rest of them. Valtiel checked the plugs, dusted off the screen, then nodded. "Okay. Put it in." Red leaned down, sliding the video into the VCR's slot. After a few minutes of static, he impatiently pushed the fast forward button. Valtiel tapped his chin thoughtfully, watching minutes of static go by. As images finally popped up on the screen, he lifted his hand. "Hey. Stop, go back a bit." Red did as instructed, then released the rewind button.

The two watched as the video played before them. It didn't announce its meaning with any title of any sort and started off with nothing but white noise over two clips of video. "Water?" Red tilted his head. "What's with the water... And who's that guy?... Oh, hey, a helmet."

Valtiel nodded as a bed of spikes closed in on the camera. "Yeah... That's how the Bogeyman's helmet works." After the spikes had closed in completely, they were greeted by the Bogeyman leaning back, his arms spread to his sides. Two others stood behind him. The scene changed again to static before a surgical lamp shone bright on the screen, doctors milling about a panicked patient. The patient was quickly wheeled through a hospital, passing a few doors, one of which was marked number 206. "Where'd you find this again?"

"Bogey's lair."

Valtiel nodded quietly. The patient arrived in a room, the attending doctor walking off through a set of doors. Again the camera looked up at a surgical lamp, shuddering as the sounds of scraping metal, stabbing, and a man's cries of pain sounded from the television set. The scene abruptly changed, the camera watching Alex Shepherd step into an elevator. No sooner had the doors closed than a knife plunged through in between them, stabbing the man through the heart. Suddenly, it switched again, this time watching as Alex apparently woke startled from sleep. No sooner had his eyes gone wide than it switched again, its view set behind the man's shoulder, the Bogeyman in front of him.

"Hey uh... Valtiel? What the hell does this all mean?"

"Shh."

Again the scene changed, the camera staring down the barrel of Alex's gun as he slowly lifted it. At level with his mother before him, she whispered three words. Valtiel reached down to the VCR, rewinding it a bit and raising the volume. Lilian Shepherd hung suspended by her arms, whispering "I love you" before her son fired on her.

"This is just a video about Alex." Red folded his arms. "Why would he have this?"

A few clips of dialogue followed, Alex gazing thoughtfully at the camera while another voice spoke. "I was only trying to make things easier for him-Forgive me, father-Thank you, father." The scene left Alex again, changing to his father, Adam Shepherd, suspended and waiting with his head bowed as the Bogeyman stepped closer behind him, his knife raised. "Alex." Adam looked up from the floor. "Forgive me."

Alex's cries of "No!" were lost as the Bogeyman lowered his knife, impaling Adam with it. Alex lifted a hand to his head, averting his gaze as the knife ripped upwards through his father's body. The camera clipped out away from Alex, framing the boy, his father's remains, and the Bogeyman's dragging knife in the same shot as an air raid siren started on its long drone. Suddenly, it switched to the Bogeyman's knife in the hotel. Then, back to the previous shot. Back to the hotel. Back to before. Back to the hotel. Back to before. Back to Alex watching the Bogeyman in the hotel. Back to the knife dragging past Adam's remains. Suddenly, over Bogeyman's shoulder as he stared back at Alex.

The screen went to static for a split second, the siren continuing in the same single tone. It returned, this time showing a manhole cover being opened from below. Alex climbed out, limping a few steps. Elle slowly walked down an alley beside him, the two spotting each other. After gazing at each other for a moment, they embraced, walking through the fog together as the siren finally started to die down. The screen again went to static.

Red and Valtiel stood in silence as the video played its remaining tape, consisting of nothing more than constant blank static. Red lifted the photos up, turning over Elle's. "She came over for a minute, then left." He switched to the photo of the lake. "Cold water puts Bogeyman in the hospital and he'll never smile again." He tilted his head. "...Water, Bogeyman, hospital, smile. They're the endings for that stupid game of his, aren't they?"

Valtiel nodded. "They are... But why would they all be on a video like this? Why in that order? It didn't even show how to get the other endings, just the best ending."

"Maybe he's just obsessed or something."

"There must be a reason..." Valtiel tapped his chin. "...I wonder if he's even seen it."

"Well, I never let him use _my_ VCR."

"I think I know what to do. Go get me a member of the Order and get them in here. They're going to get a mission from God." Valtiel quickly grabbed the rim of Red's helmet. "And NO raping them."

"Aww..."

He released the helmet, turning away to start pacing. "There must be some meaning to all this. I'm not sure what, but if anyone knows what this means, it's probably Bogey."

"Hey. Valtiel. Uh..." Red rubbed his shoulder a bit. "I was kinda wondering... Y'know, I'm not actually supposed to be serving you, right?"

Valtiel paused, turning back to Red. "...Well, yes, but you don't have anything else to do. You're retired, remember?"

"Exactly. I was wondering if you could do me a favor for all this stuff I've been doing for you."

"...Like what?"

"Liiiiiike..." Red meekly tapped his fingertips together. "Maybe... possibly... resurrecting my buddy."

"Huh? Oh. The other one like you?" Red nodded quickly. Valtiel shrugged. "Eh... I guess I could. You have to promise you won't get in the way of _my_ plans, though. If God found out that the reason things didn't go the way they're supposed to is because of you two being idiots, I won't hesitate to go ahead and say whose fault it is."

Red saluted the faceless angel. "Sure thing!"

"Now go. Go get someone from the Order and bring them here!"

Red cheered, turned, then ran off into Nowhere. Valtiel watched as the metal head left, his gaze falling to the door. He sighed, bending down to pick up the heavy piece of wood and prop it up against the doorway. He did intend to resurrect the fallen pyramid, but if just one could cause this much trouble for him, what hell would they raise together?


	22. Ch 22 Weeknights On FOX

"I think I like this show." Alessa smiled, curled up under Bogey's arm on the couch. "Is he gonna die?"

Seemingly on cue, the patient on the screen looked to his doctors. "I'll be okay, right?"

Bogey shrugged. "I guess we'll have to watch and find out. First it was an asthma attack, then it was black lung..." That was practically all he had noticed on the show. As hard as he tried to concentrate, his mind kept going back to how strangely normal the situation was. Once Alessa had calmed down after her spanking, they had returned to the Shepherd house, sat down for dinner with Elle and Josh, then retired to the living room for some TV. There they both were, watching a medical drama on cable. He hadn't even put his helmet back on. Maybe he could live like this after all.

"Oh god!" The patient blinked several times, his eyes looking about frantically. "I-I can't see! I can't see!"

"Maybe he'll cough up more blood!" Alessa kicked her feet a bit, watching the flickering images of the television. She frowned as the program left for commercial break with a great build-up of dramatic music. "Aww..." The girl shifted a bit, wincing. "You hit hard, y'know."

"Sorry, but you know how it is." He smirked, watching advertisements come and go on the screen. "Gotta be the executor of justice and all that." Bogey lifted a hand to Alessa's head, smoothing her hair down. "Should I get you some ice?" Alessa smiled up at him, nodding. He nodded in return, rising from the couch and heading to the kitchen.

Alex had been strangely absent at dinner, apparently choosing to eat elsewhere. Wherever he had gone, though, he was back. The man of the house leaned on the kitchen counter over the sink, seeming to be deep in thought. Bogey frowned, uncertain of whether or not to say anything. He eventually opted against it, stepping over to the sink to grab a towel.

"You two need to leave."

Bogey raised a brow, picking the towel off its hook. "Huh?"

"I almost didn't want to believe it at first, but..." Alex straightened up, keeping his eyes set on the faucet. "You two are going to be nothing but trouble here."

"Sorry..." He stepped over to the refrigerator, opening the icebox and searching around for the ice. "I don't think she'll do it again, though. I think she knows better now."

"We still haven't heard anything from the teacher." Alex shook his head. "Was it honestly that difficult to at least warn us that that kid of yours can do that?"

Bogey pulled out the tray of ice cubes, giving it a twist and picking out a few cubes to place in the towel. "So Elle wanted a hot tub, huh?"

Alex whipped around from the sink. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Got a fear of water?" He turned, closing the fridge door with his shoulder.

Alex shook his head, looking away. "So what if I do..."

"One more thing to add to the list, I guess." Bogey shrugged. "You're not the only one, though. I can't stand bathtubs, myself." Alex glared at him, shaking his head before looking back to the faucet again.

"Your kind waltzed in here as they pleased before, but now? This is my town now. Not yours. Don't forget that."

"Bogeyyyy! The show's back!" Bogey gave Alex one last look before heading back to the living room. Alessa looked up at him as he passed her the towel full of ice. "It's just boring, grown-up stuff now."

"That's the best part, though." He settled back down on the couch with her, turning his head as the doorbell rang. He frowned, looking back to the screen, hearing the door open, a few confused words from Alex, then the closing of the door. Footsteps followed the noises, nearing the couch. Suddenly, a video tape landed on Bogey's lap from behind himself. He looked back, spotting Alex. "What's this?"

"Dunno. It was on the doorstep." Alex shrugged. "No one was there, though..." Alessa picked the tape up, inspecting it. Carrying her towel of ice pressed to her behind, she slid off the couch, bringing the video to the TV. Alex frowned. "We don't have a VCR hooked up down here."

"Huh?" She frowned. "How do you watch stuff, then?"

"...You guys don't have DVDs in that town?" With the blank, clueless stare from Bogey and Alessa, Alex shook his head. "Whatever. C'mon, there's a VCR upstairs."

Upstairs in a room decorated with deer antlers and old photos on the walls, Bogey sat down on the lone easy chair in front of an old television set. Alessa hopped up onto the arm of the chair, whimpering and pressing her towel of ice to her behind again. Bogey pushed the tape into the VCR, pulled Alessa off the arm of the chair with a reminder that it wasn't good for the chair to sit on that part of it, then pushed the play button. Valtiel's twitching face and tattooed shoulders appeared on the screen. Alex raised a brow from the doorway. "...What the hell is that thing?"

Alessa pointed at the screen. "That's Valtiel!"

"Hello from Silent Hill!" Valtiel waved one of his red, deformed hands, sweeping it in an arc. "So. Uh... You're probably wondering what's going on. We sort of are, too."

"Are you recording now?"

Valtiel looked off screen, nodding. "Yeah."

Red zoomed into the frame with a flash of his orange jumpsuit, wrapping an arm around Valtiel's shoulders and effectively shoving him aside. "Hey! Bogeyman. Bogey. Bogey-Bug. Listen, we've got a problem here. There are these three bitches who are giving us a hard time because you left."

Valtiel shoved Red off screen. "...Yeah, I was getting to that. So! Anyways. Three nurses here are very upset with your absence-"

"They tried to castrate me for no reason!"

"-and would very much like for you to return as soon as possible. So if you could do that, that would be very helpful..." Bogey tilted his head as the on-screen Valtiel tilted his own head in thought. "...Soooo if you could do that for us all here, that would be excellent. We'd really prefer you didn't stay out of town for too long. Stuff might happen. You know... Bad stuff."

"Are you recording now?" A feminine voice spoke from off screen. The sound of Red's purring followed, along with a yelp of pain directly afterwards. Onto the screen bounced a green-dressed, face-bandaged, bobcut-haired nurse, waving happily to the camera. "Bogey! Um... Bogeyman! Sorry. Um. I just wanted to say..." She paused a bit, turned around, lifted her hands to her face, took a deep breath, then quickly turned back around as she lowered her hands. "Um! Anyways! I have a present for you when you come back. Well... If you come back. I don't want to make you feel like you have to, but I'd really like it, and-"

The nurse screamed a hoarse, hissing scream as Red tackled her to the ground, sounds of grunting and growling following. Valtiel stepped back into the frame, looking down at the floor. He reached to the camera, turned it slightly, then settled into the adjusted shot. "Anyways. Here's the thing. We still don't know enough about you to know if it's safe for you to be out there... You know... You're not a main character or anything! You can't just walk out of here when you think you're bored!" He coughed. "...But yes. If you're going to stay out there, then here, watch the video following this little message. It's from a tape we found in your lair." Valtiel turned his head to the floor again, seeming to watch the source of the screaming and moaning. He shrugged, reached to the camera, and pushed a button. With a click, the screen went to static.

Bogey glanced to Alex. The man wore a startled expression, his brows raised. Alessa giggled. "Oh, Red's so funny!"

Bogey looked back to the screen. "They went in my lair... Damnit..." He blinked a few times as the static finally gave way to the video's actual content. Alex stepped over behind the chair, watching over Bogey's shoulder.

_(Visit YouTube and search for "Bogey's Videotape" to watch the video!)_


	23. Ch 23 Time To Panic

"What's it like being dead?"

"Pretty boring."

Red and his newly resurrected buddy walked around the town, their spears resting casually on their shoulders. "That's lame. Any chicks there?"

"Nope."

"What's it like, though? Y'know... Where'd you go?"

"Y'mean heaven or hell?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh. I went to heaven. That's probably why it was so boring."

"Seriously? You went to heaven?"

"Yep."

"But there weren't any girls there?"

"Well, I wasn't a Muslim, y'know."

"Ahh, right... You should do that. Get some easy bitches for next time."

"I dunno... Gotta pray a lot for it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, something like six times a day or something. It's crazy."

Red nodded, stretching his arms a bit. "So. Rusty. What d'you wanna do?" Before the other could respond, the pyramids' attention was drawn down the street, sounds of scraping, kicking feet, and most importantly, womanly screams piercing the air. The two bounded off into the fog in search of the sound that set their helmets abuzz like sweet, sweet music.

"Where'd she go?" Alex shook his head, running off to another area of the yard. Bogey grimaced, setting off in the other direction to the street. A crash and a yell. That was all that had signaled something going wrong. It was all the warning that they had gotten to alert them to the bathroom window broken open, the hair dryer left running by the sink, and Elle nowhere to be found. Alessa and Josh were safely locked in the panic room in the kid's room while Alex and Bogey searched the area for any sign of what had taken place. Bogey looked up and down the street, spotting a teenager walking along the sidewalk, his hands shoved in his black hoodie's pockets. "Hey!" The boy stopped, startled as Bogey ran over. "You see a blond lady around here?"

The kid shook his head, leaning away from the large man. "No... Why, who is it?"

"Elle..." Bogey looked again down the street, hoping there would be some sign, some evidence, anything at all that he had missed before.

"Oh. Right, that Holloway chick?"

"Yeah. Her." He looked down the other direction on the street, still finding no answers. A light mist had begun seeping into the town, the deep blues of late night turning into greys. Bogey furrowed his brow. "...Get home, kid. This isn't a good night to be out." Without another word, he ran back to the house, diving through a hole in the fence to look for Alex. The two ran into each other in the darkness, Alex's falling flashlight sent spinning like a strobe light as they crashed.

"Watch it!" Alex quickly retrieved the flashlight from the grass.

"Sorry." Bogey lifted a hand to shield his eyes as Alex aimed the flashlight at him.

"Anything?"

"Fog." Bogey straightened up, pointing to the street. "There's fog starting to roll in."

Alex pointed the flashlight to the hole in the fence, watching as the light reflected off the clouds rolling across the pavement. "There's no way this is a coincidence."

"Agreed."

"Come on." Alex set off for the house, yanking the back door open and stepping in, switching off his flashlight. "Gotta figure out something to do with Josh. We're gonna leave." Bogey followed close behind, listening to the plan being laid out. "I'll call up Wheeler and tell him to be on his guard and spread the word." He paused at the stairs, his foot on the first step. "...I don't want to start a mass panic or anything. But... Last time it happened, most of the town went missing and was never seen again. The only reason people came back was because of all the jobs that opened up. I don't want it happening again."

"We're not taking a boat, right?"

"Depends if the road's out already or not."

The two stood in silence for a moment. Alex leaned heavily on the stair railing, bowing his head. Bogey looked away to the floor. "...Hope she's alright."

"She's tough." Alex nodded, more to himself than anyone. "She's tough. She'll be alright."

"Cool! It's like it's our birthday or something!" Red and Rusty trotted along behind the Scraper as the monster dragged its prize along behind. Elle did her best to hold her towel up around herself, watching the two pyramids fearfully.

"I know, right?" Rusty met Red in a fist bump. "Good day to be resurrected, I tell ya that."

"Res... Resurrected?" Elle stammered, wincing as she realized her towel was starting to wear thin from all the dragging.

"Yeah. I was dead for a while. How long was I out, anyways?"

"Well... You had your stupid accident in '01, so that's about ten years, bro."

"Seriously? Man..."

"Don't worry. You didn't miss out on any mannequins or anything..." Red sighed, shaking his head in dismay. "They all disappeared when James did."

"That asshole. Probably took them all for himself." Rusty paused in midstep, turning a bit. "...Do you hear that?"

Red stopped as well, jabbing the Scraper with his spear to get the creature's attention as well. The group listened as faint mechanical noises drew closer. Elle began to smile, watching the fog hopefully. A light appeared, muted in the clouded air. As it neared, it revealed itself to be two lights, spread apart across the grill of a car. The car stopped mere feet away from the group, the lights turning off as the engine shut down.

Rusty tilted his head, hefting his spear a bit in his hand as the driver door opened. Nestled in the gap between the door and the door frame was the barrel of a gun. Behind it, an incredibly angry husband took aim at the Scraper, firing several shots into the monster's head. The two red pyramids bolted, grabbing hold of Elle's arms to yank her off the road.

Before they could get far, a gigantic combat knife slammed into Rusty's head, denting the thick iron and sending him to the ground. "Hey!" Red dropped the girl, getting between his friend and his new enemy. "What the hell, man? Where's your helmet?"

"Same place yours is going..." Bogey swung the knife over his head, bringing it down on Red's spear, the slim weapon ready and waiting to parry it. The spear bent slightly, sparks flying from the impact point. "On the mantlepiece!"

"Cut it out! No team-killing!" Red growled as bullets struck his helmet from the side. "Damnit... Damnit, damnit, damnit!" The pyramid shoved the parried weapons to the side, slammed the pommel of his spear into Bogey's throat, then grabbed both Rusty and Elle, yanking them into the fog. Bogey quickly swept his knife into the fog following them, but it was too late. They had vanished into the town's dead air.


	24. Ch 24 Extinguishers and Executioners

Valtiel carefully lifted another splinter of wood with his tweezers, slipping it into the bottle's mouth to join the rest of the tiny ship's pieces. Finally in place, the little ship sat atop his desk, soaking up the admiration the angel felt after finally completing it. "Now, my friend, all you need now is time to dry!" The ship shuddered as the floor shook. Valtiel quickly grabbed the bottled ship, lifting it off the desk. "No. No, no, no-"

The office door again flung to the floor, Red's foot planted firmly on it. The room shook, sending Valtiel to his knees. He held desperately onto his bottle, breathing a sigh of relief as the little ship held its shape. "VALTIEL!" In one hand, Red held onto the rim of Rusty's helmet. In the other, a woman clad in nothing but a blue towel. Valtiel looked between the two odd persons in the pyramid's hands. Red trudged in on the door, dragging the people along with himself. "He's gone nuts! He's crazy!"

"Who?"

"That fucking knockoff!" Red dropped Rusty with a thud, a groan escaping the monster's badly dented helmet. "He showed up with that Alex guy and was actually fighting alongside him!"

"...Wait, he _what_?"

"I KNOW!" Red yanked Elle up from the floor, pointing at her repeatedly. "I did what you told me to! I got the video to him and he watched it and then the guy kidnapped her, but-"

"Wait, wait, wait." Valtiel waved his hands. "I never told you to kidnap her. What made you think that would be a good idea?"

Red stopped his relentless pointing, dragging Elle along again as he stepped closer to his supposed superior. "...But that's what we always do. We kidnap someone or murder them or something and then stuff happens." He paused a moment, Elle still trying to pull away while he stood there considering the situation. "...Right?"

Valtiel sighed. "I think I know how to explain this, Red..." The angel turned to his desk, lifting the book of rules from it. "See this, Red?" The pyramid nodded. Elle watched the two, still uncertain of what to think of the situation. "This is the rule book. This is the most important thing in this town."

Red tilted his head. "I know."

Valtiel suddenly lifted the book over his head, slamming it down on Red's helmet. "And it's the ONE THING YOU SHOULDN'T FUCK UP." Red reeled back with a howl, releasing Elle to hold his helmet in pain. Valtiel followed him, still hefting the rule book. "You know what you did? This is the same as when we had Harry killed! You're giving a main character a reason to hate us!" One of Valtiel's red hands slapped to his forehead. "You made a plot point! You made a plot point without any guidance from God! I don't know if you even meant to. Did you just stumble into making things happen without even trying to?"

"Hey, I didn't mean to screw up. Okay?" Red shoved Valtiel back against his desk with a growl. "Why is it that when things go wrong you get on my case about it?"

"Because you're the one who screws things up!" Valtiel shoved back, his hands pressing momentarily to the metal helmet. "Remember the last time I tried to accomplish something? If you hadn't dropped that cigarette in the store room, we probably would've gotten God birthed by now!"

"I didn't ask for you to drop everything and run over!" Red stomped his foot, pointing angrily at the angel. "All I asked you for was how to work the extinguisher!"

"You didn't think I'd get the least bit curious as to _why_ you needed to use it? We lost a whole year's worth of butter cake!"

"Guys..." From the floor, Rusty raised a hand. "Could I uh... Make a suggestion?"

"Huh?" Red and Valtiel looked to the bent-up pyramid.

Rusty folded his fingers, pointing to the doorway with his thumb. "I think you should save the discussion for later... That chick just ran out."

Red grabbed at the rim of his helmet, letting out a yelp. "What the fuck! What do we do now? Should we bring her back and rape her or just rape her?"

Valtiel shoved Red towards the door. "Go get her! Go!"

Red sprinted out the door on top of the door, leaving Valtiel and Rusty to watch his exit. "So..." Rusty pushed himself up off the floor, rocking back onto his behind. "What're you gonna do about that American guy?"

Valtiel tapped his chin a few times. "...I'm not sure. We need to get his helmet back on his head."

"How're we gonna get it back?"

"Get walking."

Rusty sat quietly for a moment, waiting for Valtiel to continue. When the angel remained silent, the pyramid tilted his head. "...You're joking."

"No. Get walking."

"But Valtieeeeel..."

The two stared each other down for a moment. Implied, of course, by the fact that they moved their heads very little from what would pass for a gaze toward each other. Finally, Valtiel tossed his hands up. "Fine. Take the Segway."

"Woohoo!"


	25. Ch 25 Rad Bro Dance

The Shepherd house was filled with all the silence and tension befitting of a place that had been violated. The false sense of security that comforted most inhabitants was lost for Alessa and Josh, huddled quietly in the panic room. Seldom used, the room had a musty fragrance permeating its exposed wooden slats, dust clinging to every conceivable surface. A bare light bulb overhead wavered slightly with every movement of the house as it settled in the chill of night, its supports and walls breathing their nightly sigh of relief as the heat of daylight left them. Relief, however, was not something the two children felt. Both their parents had left with only the reassurance that the town's sheriff would come by to check on them sometime soon. So they sat and waited in the dusty, musty room.

Josh sighed softly, lowering himself onto his back and rolling onto his side. Alessa watched him in the dim light. "Scared?" Josh shook his head. Alessa looked up at the door. The room was hidden behind a bookcase, opened by a switch behind the books. She could probably handle herself as long as it wasn't someone like Valtiel, but Josh was another matter. Hopefully no one else knew of the room's existence. Hopefully...

Outside, the fog had thickened dramatically, clouding the vision of one individual in the street. "Damnit." Rusty peered left and right, trying in vain to discern the addresses of the houses lining the street. "It's gotta be one of these..." The Segway whirred and whined under his feet, struggling to balance the weight of the metal-headed man as he leaned forward, pushing the device to its limits. At twelve blazing miles per hour, he had reached the city in a reasonable amount of time, cutting through the fog and the quiet of night with the gyroscope-balanced vehicle's constant drone.

He turned, zipping over to the sidewalk to better view the houses. Valtiel had said it was on the south side of the street. Sure enough, a mailbox bearing the Shepherd name soon met him beside the fence of one house. Rusty hopped off the Segway, inspecting the box. Drawing a fist back, he slammed it into the aluminum box, throwing it off its post and into the grass with a loud clank. The bent pyramid dusted his hands, strutting up to the front door to kick it open.

Josh sat upright with a start, staring at the door of the panic room. Alessa frowned. "What was that?" Josh blinked several times, backing up to the back wall of the room. Alessa glared at the boy. He had lied to her. He was scared! She opened her mouth to speak, stopping herself. What would Bogey say? More than that... What would _dad_ say? She crawled over to Josh, lifting a hand to pat his shoulder. The boy looked to her fearfully. "It's okay, Josh." She smiled. "They'll be back before you know it."

Rusty sauntered through the house, stopping in the kitchen to search the refrigerator. "Eggs, celery, milk..." He grumbled. "Why's everything so damned healthy?" He yanked the freezer open. "Where's the ice cream? Where the hell is the beer?" The pyramid straightened up, slamming the fridge doors shut. "Of course! Upstairs!"

Alessa and Josh stared at the wall, vibrations and sounds from the stairs reaching them through it. Someone big was running up the stairs. After reaching the top, the footsteps continued, pounding around through the house. Searching? Searching for what, though? For them?

Finding the adults' bedroom, Rusty yanked drawers from the dresser, flung open wardrobe doors, and kicked his way into the closet. "No... Not here, either... Damnit!" He growled in frustration, stepping out into the middle of the room. "No beer... No wine... Nothing..." He looked around the room in desperation, his gaze falling on an interesting device. Black in color, it was a wide, rectangular object with cloth covering two portions of its three-portion design. The middle segment was covered in dials, switches, and numbers. The pyramid tilted his head, stepping over closer to it, lifting his spear warily. He wasn't sure what the device was, but if it was dangerous, he wasn't about to be caught off guard.

Alessa pushed herself up onto her feet, leaning her head against the panic room's door. The house was quiet now, but they hadn't yet heard footsteps traveling down the stairs. Someone was still in the house. She looked to Josh, beckoning him over, opening the panic room door. After getting over his initial hesitation, Josh followed her into the dark of the child's room, opening the door. The two held hands, making their way out of the room and sneaking down the hallway, looking around as they went.

Rusty leaned in closer to the device, tentatively lifting a hand to its glossy front face. He tilted his head, eyeing one of the shiny silver buttons. "...Pretty." He lifted a fused finger to it, hesitantly pressing it. A red dot lit up on the device, a strange whirring sound escaping it. After a moment of silence and a glowing glass display showing "01" in blocky numbers, a loud vocal sound boomed from the black box. Rusty leapt back, his spear pointed at the device, heaving with his startled breaths. "What the fuck?" The man held the pose as music played from the box, heady and thumping in its beat. His arms slowly relaxed and his head slowly tilted. The sound was pleasant, really. It wasn't like the scratchy noises he'd heard from such items. This sound was happy and exciting, buzzing in his helmet with lovely vibrations. The vibrations coursed through him, giving him a strange, lightweight feeling throughout his body. "Oh!"

Alessa and Josh peered carefully around the corner of the adults' bedroom door, watching with confusion as a bent-up pyramid head danced and frolicked about in front of a stereo set, spear flailing about in his right hand. The two children looked to one another and shrugged. Alessa yanked on Josh's hand, pulling him over to descend the stairs with her. "C'mon," she whispered, "He's distracted. Let's go find that friend of your dad's!"


	26. Ch 26 Carbon Copy

Back to where it had all started. It seemed like only a day had passed since he had first stood in the roadside bathroom, checking his reflection while every voice of his conscience told him he wasn't quite himself. He knew why he had returned. The memory of that girl still haunted him. What had happened to her? He figured he wouldn't find too many answers, but he had to try. He slid a hand into his pocket. Yes, it was still there. The newspaper clipping that he had laminated and brought with him. With a quick glance over his appearance in the mirror, a flick of his fingers at his blond hair, and a turn on his heel, James Sunderland stepped out of the bathroom, treading down the familiar path towards Silent Hill.

Giving the graveyard a quick look and finding no sign of the girl, he strode back to his car, starting it up and heading down the road. Fog had started to settle into the town, assuring him that his quest would eventually be worthwhile. Ahead on the road, nestled in the thickening fog, he spotted a dark, humanoid shape. James narrowed his eyes, stopping the car. He had to be sure of his situation before delving into the town. He unbuckled his seat belt, made sure his handgun was loaded, then stepped out of the car. The shape seemed to be moving towards him at a moderate pace. James leveled the gun on the shape, waiting for it to come into view.

As soon as the fog was thin enough to see through, Alex stopped in his tracks, lifting his hands in surrender. James blinked, lowering the gun. "Er... Who are you?"

Alex fingered his gun nervously on his belt. "Alex. You?"

James quickly latched the safety of his weapon into place, stepping over and offering a hand to Alex to shake. "James. James Sunderland. What're you doing out here?"

"Well..."

* * *

><p>"Where the hell did they go?" Alex ran over to Bogey's side, staring at the place Red had previously stood.<p>

Bogey could only shake his head in dismay, offering very little comfort to the man. "Dunno... We'll have to start looking."

"What do they want with her, anyways? Why take her?"

"You don't want to know." Bogey turned away, heading back to the car. Alex grabbed him by the arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"_Tell_ me. Now."

Bogey paused, trying to figure out the best way to explain to the startled man that his wife was probably being violated as they stood there. "Alright... You saw the guy that ran off with her? And the other one with him?" Alex nodded. "They're... Not good guys. Just trust me, we need to find her as soon as we can."

Alex stared at the taller man for a moment, his hardened, angered expression softening into a face of fear. "...What are they going to do to her? Are they going to try and kill her?"

"Eventually, but first, it will be worse than that. Much worse."

"Oh god..."

Bogey turned around, hauling his knife to rest flat on his shoulder. "Hey. You've survived this place once, haven't you?" Alex nodded. "Then you'll just have to do it again. Take the west end of town. I'll search the east."

Alex nodded, pulling his phone from his pocket. "Alright. It's..." He frowned at the snowy screen. "...Well. Whatever the hell time it is... Meet back here if you either find something or don't find anything at all. Alright?"

* * *

><p>"So you're here to find someone?" James glanced over to his passenger, his eyes quickly returning to the road. The two trolled along slowly in the car, deciding to stay in it during the search rather than get their feet tired. "Who is it exactly?"<p>

"My wife. Her name's Elle."

James raised a brow. "...Ah. Are you sure she's there?"

"She has to be. I saw her there. But that metal-headed guy dragged her off."

James winced. "Are you um... Are you sure she's still alive?" He glanced over at Alex as the man remained silent, a saddened expression creeping upon his features. "I mean... This is kind of a dangerous town."

"Look. She'll be alive. I just need to find her."

"Alright..." James watched the road as they neared the dreary building. The headlights shone ahead into an old wooden sign posted on a wall of the building near the door, the script reading "Silent Hill Historical Society." James wasn't sure what this Alex guy was really guilty of, but if his wife and a metal-headed man were involved, this was probably one of the stops Alex would have to make.


	27. Ch 27 Oh Shi

The hotel was dismal, grey, and dusty as ever, but upon entering, Bogey realized there were fresh prints in the dust, leading him along through its halls. The prints were spread apart and appeared to have been made by bare feet, signaling that someone had run barefoot through the building. It had to be Elle. It just had to be her. She fit the criteria. Though he hadn't gotten a good look at her feet to judge the size, who else would be running barefoot in a splintering old wreck of a hotel in the fog world?

He traversed the hotel with urgency, his knife held flat on his shoulder. Its weight would normally slow him down, but its heaviness paled in comparison to the adrenaline running through his body at that point. Elle was in Red's captivity. He knew what could happen to her. What _would _happen to her, what could even be happening to her right now without him to protect her. Really, it was Alex's job to protect her. He was, after all, her actual husband. Still, Bogey couldn't forget the way he had felt near her. _Screw Alex_, he thought, _I like her just as well as he does._

Up the stairs and around a corner, Bogey chased the footprints. His eyes set to the floor, he stopped abruptly, staring down at a glimmer that shone up at him. Bogey bent down on one knee, reaching his hand to the metal object. Two flat plates of steel strung together on a ball chain. He grasped the chain in his fingers, lifting it up from the floor. As the metal plates spun in the dim light, he spotted a telltale name on them. _A. Shepherd_. Alex's dog tags. The tags he had worn, thinking they were his own, when in reality they had belonged to his father, Adam. Bogey's brow furrowed. Was Alex in trouble? Was that who he had been chasing this whole time? Why was that guy barefoot? Deciding they were questions he would have to answer later, Bogey lifted the chain up, settling it around his neck. He pulled the collar of his wifebeater out, allowing the tags to fall in behind the fabric.

Bogey rose to his feet, staring down the hallway. The footprints continued, turning a corner to the left up ahead, smeared as their owner had seemingly leapt over the debris on the floor. Just as he lifted a foot to continue his search, however, sound met his ears from both sides. A strange sound, like wind flying across a building's rough face. Before he could even look to try and find the identity of the sound, darkness overtook his vision and agony overtook his senses. Bogey dropped his knife to the floor, unable to hear the heavy metal weapon's landing over his own scream of pain. As he fell to his knees for lack of balance, he lifted his hands to his head, attempting to calm his wailing nerves. It was not his skin nor his wet hair nor even his blood that his hands met, though. Thick, heavy metal surrounded his head in an all too familiar shape. His helmet! Why was his helmet back on? How had it found him? Why...

"Good shot, Red."

"Thanks, bro." Red sauntered over to Bogey's side, nudging the man with his foot. "Hey. Babyface. Come on, get up. We gotta find this bitch."

Bogey continued to grapple with his helmet, trying as hard as he could to pull it into a less painful position. He couldn't remember a time before when he had hated it as much as he did at that moment. Why did he have to wear it again? Had he just been dreaming of a life that he couldn't have? Reaching for something he could never touch? Who was he kidding? Shepherd's Glen was no place for him. He had ended up back in Silent Hill, back in his torturous helmet. Rusty prodded Bogey with his spear, drawing very little reaction from the ailing man. "Red. I think we killed him. How mad will Valtiel be?"

"Pretty mad, I think-" Red stopped suddenly, turning with a start towards the hall's end. "...You smell that?"

Rusty nodded quickly, taking a few steps closer to the hall's end. "Pussy."

"_Fresh_ pussy!" Red's tongue rolled out of his helmet, saliva filling up the metal box. The two pyramids stared down the hall, waiting for the soft footsteps to grow louder, their senses tingling with delight. Sure enough, a soft, dusty hand set against the corner of the wall, tentatively waiting. Red and Rusty stood tense, waiting in silence for the right moment. Elle quietly peeked around the corner, spotting the two pyramids. She quickly pulled back around the corner, hoping she hadn't been seen. Bogey watched from the floor as the two sadistic brothers bounded over to the corner, disappearing behind it only to reappear with Elle between them, held by her arms.

"Bogey!" Elle shouted, yanking her hands away from the monsters just long enough to tighten her towel around herself. "Bogey, what's wrong? Get up!"

"Well. Thanks for being useless, Bogey-bug." Red snickered. "Looks like we didn't need your help after all, though."

The air raid siren began its slow, mournful drone, echoing through the hotel. Bogey rolled onto his chest as best he could, getting a face full of spikes in the process inside his helm. With a grunt of pain, he shoved himself up onto his knees, then to his feet. He grabbed hold of his knife, yanking it up as he straightened his spine. "Hand her over, Red..."

"What for?" Red tilted his head, pulling Elle against himself. "I guess you want first dibs, right?"

"To be fair, I guess he _did _give us a reason to kidnap her in the first place..." Rusty yanked Elle back to himself from Red. "I mean, it's only fair, right?"

The hotel's floor began to fall away in place of a metal mesh below their feet, causing Elle to almost press against Rusty. Even the monsters were better than falling into the abyss below the floor. "Just let go of her." Bogey swallowed hard, his body growing stiff. "I won't let... Won't let you..." The man faltered, a strange sensation coming over him.

Elle watched from afar, nearly looking away out of embarrassment as Alex's clothes began peeling themselves off of Bogey, re-forming in the shape of his bloodied, dirty kilt around his legs. The man was strangely still, gripping his knife tightly in his right hand. "Bogey...?" The two pyramids beside her seemed just as confused, watching in silence. "Bogey? What's wrong?"

"Oh dear." Red backed up a step. "Hey. Rusty. Funny thing about this guy..."

"Huh?"

"I... honestly have no idea what he's like when he fights."

The Bogeyman lifted his knife in front of himself for a moment before sweeping it to the side, slamming it into the wall. A large piece of it broke apart in large chunks of what ever sickening material the Otherworld had decided on for it. The Bogeyman reached out, grasping a large piece of the mixture of steel mesh, plaster, and bloody flesh in his hand, yanking it to his side. With one foot set forward, he then flung it to the end of the hall, catching the points of the two pyramid heads' helmets, knocking them off their feet. The two and Elle yelped in unison, landing hard on the metal floor. As they came to their senses once more, Elle looked up. The Bogeyman stood above her, staring down in silence. "Bogey..." She reached her hand up, waiting for him to take it and help her stand. Instead, he lowered down, reaching out with his free left hand to grab her by the towel around her body. "Hey!" Ignorant of her discomfort, he yanked her from the floor just enough to drag her along the floor beside his screeching knife.

Red and Rusty sat up slowly, watching Elle being dragged away. Rusty growled, clamoring to his feet. "Hey! Asshole! Leave her alive for us at least!"


	28. Ch 28 Mannequin Handstand

"Ohh..." Faceless winced, rubbing her hands to her behind as she followed behind Bubble. "He really does a number, doesn't he?"

"It's times like these that I'm glad I don't have a mouth!" Bubble growled, stomping along the creaky floorboards of the hotel. "No wonder all those others left. They might have guns, but I'm betting that's their blood on their lips!"

"I heard they got their teeth knocked out," Arcade murmured, clinging to the edge of Faceless' dress. "I wish Fukuro was here... She'd know what to do..."

Bubble shook her head. "She might've gotten away from Red, but she still got caught by Valtiel." The three hobbled along, wincing and moaning in pain through the hotel. "The exit has to be somewhere around here... We didn't walk that far in..." Bubble abruptly stopped several feet from a door, Faceless bumping into her. Arcade peeked around the two, her hair falling across her face as she listened intently to the noises in front of them. Heavy footsteps. Not just that, but a metallic scraping noise. Bubble backed up a step, pushing the other two nurses back as well. A red glow seeped out from the crack under the door, steadily growing more intense.

"Is that..." Faceless whined. "Oh, come on, not again!"

A soft thump sounded from behind the door. After a long moment of more scraping noises, the door suddenly shattered from the driving force of an oversized combat knife to its center. The nurses gasped, raising their arms protectively as a rain of splinters fell upon them. As the splinters finally subsided, the three looked back to the door. There he was! The Bogeyman! Bubble clasped her hands in front of her chest, nearly wilting to the floor. "Bogey! You're back!"

The Bogeyman slowly directed his attention to the three, moving little more than to breathe. The three nurses stood waiting for him to say something. Anything! Arcade quivered against Faceless. He had come back. Her message had gotten to him! She gazed up and down his body, taking him in. Her gaze fell to his left hand, realizing it held firm to a tight bunch of terrycloth wrapped around a... blond girl. Arcade stared at the girl, whose eyes darted about at the nurses, seeming frightened. Arcade looked back up at the girl's captor. "Bogey..." Arcade stepped out from behind Faceless, inching towards the metal-headed man. "Bogey, who is that? What are you doing?"

He grunted in irritation, shifting the point of his helmet to the side, pointing away from her. "Arcade, maybe we should leave him alone," Faceless warned. "He doesn't seem to be um... Normal right now."

"Why won't you say anything?" Arcade stumbled a bit, edging closer to him. She had never gotten to be this close before. Usually, he would have tried to run off. He was shy like that. Not only had he stayed put, however, but he had also not even spoken a word. Why wasn't he even telling her to go away? "Bogey..."

"Arcade, come back here. Let's leave him be." Bubble reached out for Arcade's wrist, only to pull back as Arcade slapped her away. At the sound of the strike, the Bogeyman reached out, grabbing Arcade by the throat, lifting her up an inch from the floor and throwing her against the wall.

Arcade struck the wall hard, laying still for a moment. "Bogey... Are you like him now?" She sat up, propped up by her arms. "Are you like Red?" The Bogeyman paused for a moment, then continued on his trudge away from the nurses. Arcade reached out again for him, but Faceless grabbed her by the shoulder, pulling her back. The shy nurse whimpered as her beloved Bogeyman rounded the corner of the hall, heading for the basement.

* * *

><p>Maybe he hadn't done the right thing.<p>

James lingered on outside the Historical Society building, his brows pinching together above his nose. He still had nightmares about that place. The endlessly confusing corridors, the smell... God, the smell. He had gotten through it, though. Surely this younger guy would get through it just as well. Still, perhaps he had assumed wrong. Sure, there were similarities in their stories, but was he really guilty of such a thing? He seemed like a good enough guy. Young, too. James lounged a while longer in the seat of his car, his head lolling to the side from the headrest to relax on the seat belt. What caught his eyes next was more startling, more horrifying than anything he had seen thus far in his life. Not even that pyramid-headed monster could compare to the horror outside his window.

Maria smiled wide, waving to him. "James!"

James smiled weakly, waving slightly in return. As she made a rotating gesture with her hand, he painfully rolled his window down, trying to hide his displeasure. "Maria! Hey..." He glanced back to the Historical Society, then back to the woman outside his car. "How did you find me here?"

"Well..." She tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling. "To be honest, I was worried about you, so... I hired someone to find you."

* * *

><p>Alex cautiously stepped into the darkness of the building, switching on his flashlight. To his left he found a glass case filled with small artifacts, many of them arrowheads and other primitive tools sitting alongside yellowed photographs. He traced his fingertips along the glass, peering down at the items. There was something in this building that guy, the one named James, wanted him to find. But what? Why did he have to come in here? Alex lifted his gaze from the case, peering into the room beyond. A small gallery of paintings greeted him in the next room, some of them appearing to be almost photographs. It was impossible, though. Why would there be photographs of corpses hanging in boxes around a figure wielding a spear and wearing an angular bucket on his head? Either they were paintings or the town had an even more morbid history than he thought.<p>

Shortly after discovering the paintings, however, he turned his head at the sound of running and struggling with the door. Before he could react, James rushed in, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him along through the gallery, bursting through double doors into another gallery. "What the hell?" Alex managed as he was dragged along.

"No time!" James pulled the man further into the room, sprinting down a rough set of stairs that had seemingly broken their way into the building, leading deep below the ground. "Gotta get away!"

"From what?" Alex yanked his arm away, keeping up with James as the man flew down the stairs.

"Ex! Evil ex! Just run!"


	29. Ch 29 Fruity Dreaming

"So how's it coming?"

"Pretty well. We're almost done with it."

"Good, good..." Valtiel dipped his red hand into his bowl of lotion, lifting the soothing substance up to douse his head with it. He would have smooth skin one of these days. Soft as a baby's bottom. "How's Vatra been treating you?"

"Well, the food is... Well. Y'know. European." The two chuckled a moment before the monster on the line continued. "They're pretty professional, though. We'll have to see what the fans think, but I think they're doing pretty well so far. They've been utilizing my talents well."

"Yeah, I knew you had it in you." Valtiel sighed. "It's a shame the fans have such a love-hate viewpoint when it comes to Red. I'd really like to get him busy with things for once."

"Why is that, anyways?"

"Who knows." Valtiel slathered the lotion across his scalp, rubbing it into his skin. "I mean he's got a great fanbase. They're creepy, yeah, but fiercely loyal. At least Macho is seeing some work."

"What about the other one? Didn't you have three?"

"Yeah... About that..." The angel's brow line furrowed. "He's barely got any fans to his name. His popularity, I'm afraid, will fizzle out again once they finish filming Revelations."

"Really?" 

"Unfortunately. I guess adding all the blood didn't help."

"Well. Good luck with all that. Break's over. I need to get back."

"Best of luck to you, too, Kyle. Make us proud, alright?"

"Heh, alright. Talk to you soon."

Valtiel set his phone down on its base, twisting the cord a bit to keep it from tangling up. After the phone was safely settled down, he lifted his other hand to his head, helping to spread the lotion around. The massaging motion calmed his mind, pushing out thoughts of business and employment. In his mind's eye, he placidly watched as everything fell away. What remained after all the nonsense had gone away was her. He thought about her fair skin, her figure, her dark hair-or was it blond this time? All her grace coalesced as he watched her open her arms to him, her body glowing with warmth, spreading as she started to run to him. Slowly, as though the air were heavy and thick as water, allowing him to relish every move she made. He opened his arms to her in return, rising to meet her. _Valtiel!_ she cried to him, calling him to her. "Heather," he sighed, wrapping his arms around her as they finally met. _But I am not Heather_, she replied. He giggled softly. "Oh, right... Cheryl... Sorry, Cheryl!"

"No, I am not Cheryl, either. Let go."

Heather wasn't Russian. Upon realizing this, Valtiel snapped back to reality, finding himself embracing another cold body. He shuddered and released Whitey, straightening up and smoothing his robe out. "Ugh. What do you need?"

Whitey tilted his head up a bit, sniffing the air. "Is that watermelon?"

"What do you _need_, White Hunter?"

"Well... Boss chelovek, I wondered if there were any new titles that needed a part filled."

"Huh?" Valtiel tilted his head. "You want to be in a game?"

Whitey nodded quickly. "Da, da, more than anything, boss chelovek!"

Valtiel sighed. "Stop calling me that. Look, the only game in the works at the moment is Downpour, and it's already been announced that there aren't going to be any pyramid heads in that one. Maybe next time you could audition."

"Could I?" Whitey clung tightly to his switchblade. "Comic book was boring. I did nothing."

"Yeah, comics are like that..." Valtiel shrugged. "I still haven't figured out where those three went off to..." He tapped his chin. "I should really get on that." The angel quickly shook his head. "But anyways. Maybe next time. I think next is supposed to be another mobile game... Not sure, though. I'll have to check again."

Whitey shook his head, turning to the door. "No mobile game. Mobile games... They are terrible."

"Yeah, I'm sort of glad _The Escape_ didn't pan out." Valtiel shuddered. He already had enough nurses and pyramids running around. He didn't need two more. It was true, the mobile games weren't quite up to par with the quality he liked to maintain. On the other hand, he did have a situation to deal with now, didn't he? Valtiel looked Whitey over. "Hey. I think I have a job for you."

Like a spring released from tension, Whitey flew back to lean over Valtiel's desk. "Really? Tell me! Anything!"

Valtiel chuckled. "First, we'll need some more monsters. Let's go round them up..."


	30. Ch 30 Spill The Blood

Around a corner, down a hall, into ankle-deep water, around another corner, and finally Alex had had it with this James fellow. He grabbed the man by his green-coated arm, yanking him into the dead end they had just run to. "Alright, start talking!"he demanded through clenched teeth. "Who is that? Why are we running from her?"

James blinked a few times, glancing over his shoulder to check the hall for light. After seeing none, he looked back to the younger man. "She... Look, you're not going to believe me, but the last time I came to this town, I came here looking for my dead wife. That girl who's following us started acting like her."Alex raised a brow, waiting for James to continue. "She... She eventually even _looked_ like her. When I told her to quit it, she turned into this weird flying monster and tried to kill me!"

"Wait."Alex lifted a finger. "You came here looking for your dead wife? Why?"

"I got a letter."

"..And you didn't just assume it was some sick joke?"James shook his head. Alex sighed deeply. What a nutcase. "Okay, then. So why did you bring me here? What do you think I'll find here?"

"Well..."James smiled sheepishly. "The thing is that when I came here, I was really just on a journey. It was a journey of discovery in which I found out..."

"Found out what?"Alex gave the man a shove. This was no time for trailing off in dramatic fashion.

"Found out that I had actually killed her myself."

Alex backed up a step. "So you think... You think that I'm the reason she's missing?"

"It's possible."

With a swift yank at his waist, Alex drew forth his handgun, taking aim at the blond man. "You're lying! I'm not a murderer! You probably dragged me down here to rob me or something!"

"What?"James quickly raised his hands in surrender. "No! No, I didn't!"

"James?"Maria's call echoed through the halls, faint and distant.

"I don't know what the fuck is wrong with your head, but I'm not you!"

"I didn't say you were! All I'm saying is-"

The gun shook with Alex's frustrated trembling. "I didn't kill my wife!"

James winced, shaking his head slowly. "..I don't care!"

Before the two could continue their argument, a woman's scream bounced through the narrow halls, reaching their ears. The men leaned out from the dead end corridor, peering around in the darkness. "Elle,"Alex murmured, adjusting the flashlight on his coat pocket. He looked to James. "Listen. I'm not you. I saw her get dragged into this town and I'm going to save her before it's too late."

James sighed, switching his flashlight on. "Just be prepared. You might not like the truth, Shepherd."Alex glared at him. "Look, I'm just saying."

"Whatever. You look that way, I'll look this way."The two nodded to one another, setting off in opposite directions from the dead end.

"You really do care."

"Get OFF of me!"

"It's been a while! Remember me?"

"JAMES!"

The twin pyramids chuckled, dragging Maria down the dark hall towards their lair, burning red light emanating from them both. "Maria, honey, he's not here now."Red gave her arm a yank, his tongue snaking out to lick her hand. "He left town after your little episode, remember?"

"But don't worry. We're not mad at you."Rusty stopped a moment as she struggled, tightening his grip on her wrist. "We've been hoping you would come and visit."

Maria screamed once more, kicking her feet and struggling more against their terrible grip. The two pyramids laughed more, flinging her in unison into their tile-covered lair.

"We're just really happy to see you."

"_Really_ happy to see you."

"Very much so."

The frightened manifestation scrambled to her feet, backing up against a shoddy table that stood in the room. She looked from Red to Rusty and back again. "D-don't come any closer! Stay away!"With a swift reach into her shirt, she retrieved a can of mace, aiming it threateningly at the two.

"Yeah. Like that'll help."Rusty gave Red a nudge. "Mind if I do the honors, bro?"

"Go for it. I like to watch."Red lashed his tongue around the rim of his helmet's hole, already slavering. "But don't take too long. I want a turn before she's dead."

"Won't take long at all. You know me."

"Stay back!"As Rusty took a few steps forward, Maria unleashed the spray can's wrath, firing off a stiff burst of the substance. As the droplets settled on the monster's helmet, he laughed.

"Is that all you've got?"With a resounding BANG, Rusty stumbled a bit. He turned his head to look back at Red. "Tell me. What just happened?"

"Got a hole in your back, bro."Before the two could even turn to face their attacker, another bullet struck Red on his leg, throwing him off balance. "The hell?"

Maria smiled brightly, peering into the hall at the flashlight drawing closer. As her rescuer drew closer, nearing the glow of the two monsters, her smile began to fade. This was not her beloved James, not by a long shot. He wore a military jacket like James did, but that was where the similarities ended. The man glanced to her. "Cover your ears."As soon as she had lifted her fingers to her ears, he unleashed several shots into the creatures, emptying his clip.

Rusty and Red had had enough. This wasn't James. This guy actually aimed somewhere besides their helmets! As the two fell to the floor, he advanced further, first grabbing Rusty by the rim of his helmet and aiming his gun into the helmet's hole. "Oh, come on, not aga-"The bent pyramid was quickly silenced by two final shots into his head. Alex unceremoniously dropped the helmet to the floor, straightening up to head over to Red next.

"Hey. Hey, come on, let's be friends!"

"Where's my wife?"

"Your wife?"Red waved a hand. "What? You're married? You really shouldn't tie yourself down so early, kid, you'll-"

"Where's Elle?"Alex grabbed Red by his helmet's rim, preparing to finish him off as he had the red pyramid's brother.

"Elle. Elle. Right. Her. Bogey-bug's got her."

"Where are they?"Alex pulled back the chrome hammer of his gun.

"Uh. Hotel, I think. Yeah. Basement. I wouldn't get too hopeful, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh. Y'know. A monster's gotta do what a monster's gotta do! Heh heh... Maria can fill you in on that part."

"The hotel. The Grand Hotel?"

"Ayup."

"Thanks."Alex smiled, his lips turning up in approval. His eyes, however, remained narrowed and angry. "Now quit being a problem."Before Red could protest, Alex pulled the trigger, silencing the monster for good. He dropped the monster's helmet, breathing a sigh of relief. Straightening up, he looked over to Maria. "You alright?"Giving him little chance to react, Maria rushed over, clinging tightly to Alex. The man frowned, thinking back to what James had said of the woman. He certainly didn't want to be a part of this.


	31. Ch 31 Decaying Trench of Self

It was only after descending several staircases and traversing a long hall that the Bogeyman finally stopped his trudge. His hands full, he thrust his head forward, causing a moldy wooden door to swing open, welcoming the two into his lair. Elle's eyes widened as she caught sight of the room's interior. Knives littered the floor, gleaming in tones of white and orange under the illumination of a light bulb strung from the ceiling. The door bounced lightly as it reached the extent of the hinge, seemingly prompting the Bogeyman to continue trudging onward into the room. Elle rolled a bit onto her side as she was dragged into the minefield of knives, trying her best to avoid the rusted blades. Suddenly, the dragging turned into a yank, lifting her up off the floor by her towel and dropping her onto his work bench.

She was closer to eye level now. He still towered over her, the point of his helmet rising far higher than the crest of his head, giving him an imposing, foreshortened appearance. Elle glanced from him to the floor, eyeing the knives nervously. The woman's throat tightened up, afraid to even ask what was going to happen next. As sweat began to bead just under her nose and brow, she felt a gentle touch to her hair. Her eyes darted back to him. It was his hand she felt, stroking her hair. After all his rough handling, what was it he was up to? A mournful sort of whine escaped the heavy metal implements on his head, causing her to blink. She took the chance to quietly clear her throat. "Bogey?"She reached her hand up to his wrist, gently wrapping her fingers around his bloodstained limb. "Talk to me. Come on."

He lowered his hand, turning slightly away from her. Reaching to the tabletop, he shuffled a few pictures and clippings around, searching for something in particular. Elle watched as he sorted, remaining quiet. Glimpses of swing sets, birthday cakes, and other childish memories passed by his hands, escaping his interest for the moment. The photos were brushed aside in favor of one item in particular that lay below them. He pinched it between his fingertips as though it were as delicate as a moth's wing, his movements slow and careful. Elle raised a brow. It was nothing but a scrap of cloth, dark green in color. A single white blotch graced the frayed edge. He held it up to her, seemingly expecting her to understand. "What is it?"He lowered his hand, placing the cloth back on the table. Picking up a few photos, he placed them in a layer over the cloth, standing silent after his work was completed. "Come on... Bogey, you need to talk to me..."

Without explanation, he dropped to the floor, folding his legs in his kilt and wrapping his arms around his knife. "This isn't helping,"Elle sighed, leaning over towards him. She watched as he sat there breathing, tucking her towel in a bit tighter. "Bogey."As he remained motionless, she reached out and prodded his helmet with her finger. "Hey. C'mon."The man continued to sit, seemingly ignoring her. Elle sat up on the table, wrapping her arms about herself with a sigh. "Fine. Be that way."She glanced around the room again at the ridiculous amount of knives on the floor. "If you're not going to talk, then can you at least help me get out of here? I really don't wanna stay here anymore."A grunt was the only reply. Elle smacked her hand on the table in frustration. "What's the matter with you? Look, I'm sorry if that thing hurts your head, but I really shouldn't stay here!"

The Bogeyman lifted his head a bit, turning it towards the door. The sound of careful, quiet steps crept into the room, growing closer. The monster growled, shoving himself up to his feet with difficulty, still hefting his knife about. Elle leaned over, peering into the dark corridor. "Hel-"She coughed, clearing her throat before calling out louder. "Hello?"

An unfamiliar voice called back, drawing nearer. "Hello? Elle?"The Bogeyman grunted in irritation, yanking his knife forward and back, causing it to screech against the floor. The voice's source soon came into view, a flashlight fastened to his green jacket. He turned his head left, then right, finally finding the room at the corridor's end. His tension was visible; the man froze as he saw the large monster, gradually turning to face him as though meeting a lion on his savannah. The two stared each other down. Elle's ears picked up on the sound of skin against rust as the Bogeyman's hand tightened around his knife's handle. The stranger down the hall resettled his feet, shifting his weight a bit while lifting his hands from his sides. They drew out of sight, hidden behind the glare of his flashlight, disappearing into his chest.

The Bogeyman's breathing deepened, his chest expanding further and further with each breath. After a moment of such buildup, he began a struggling trudge towards the lighted man, his knife squealing behind him. James watched the creature amble towards him, resettling his feet more as his nerves grew jittery. He was done with these creatures. He was, wasn't he? But then again, this one didn't look quite like the others he had faced. He felt no familiarity as he looked the creature over, found nothing that struck him in the back of his mind as the others had. The siren, though. That awful siren that signaled something equally awful was about to happen. That horrid noise that rang in his ears and snaked its way through the labyrinth. There was familiarity in that.

In a torrential rain of dust and sand, the ceiling gave way, a black abyss gaping above the scene. It couldn't get any worse. He couldn't let it. James fired off three shots into the monster's helmet, causing the beast to falter for only a short time. As soon as the shots ended, he resumed his march towards James, the knife's screech burning at his nerves. The Bogeyman leaned back, his knife sliding backwards a few inches as he wound up for a swing. James backed up, trying as best he could to escape the weapon's range. With every step he took, however, his feet slowed, grasped by some sort of sticky, tar-like sludge rising around his ankles. He wouldn't make it. He was going to be sliced in half. The girl wouldn't be safe after this. James fired four more shots from his pistol, trying to buy time. In the waver of his flashlight's beam, he saw the knife fly into the air like a pendulum, its serrations whistling on their way to kill him.

With one last desperate lean back, James fell onto his back, the knife landing in the tar between his legs. He lifted his head, his eyes widening at how close the blow had been. The man attempted to scoot back, pushing against the tar with his hands and feet. He began to sink the more he struggled. This wasn't anything like his last trip to this town. Why was he sinking? Why the _hell_ was he sinking?

Beyond James'reach and behind the Bogeyman, Elle watched the floor of the lair become overtaken by the sticky substance, flowing in between the knives and enveloping them completely. Thankfully, she was still above on the table, which didn't seem to succumb to sinking as the two before her did. She watched James'flashlight waver about, watched the Bogeyman begin to sink to his knees, but never did she feel the table so much as lean one way or the other. She glanced down just to be sure that the table was still the same. It was curious. The table remained a plain wooden table, still covered in photographs. One in particular, one with a great deal of white in it, caught her eye. Two boys stood atop a couch in front of a window, caught in the act of bouncing up and down. Elle reached down, lifting the photo to read the writing on the Polaroid's frame.

_Me and Alex survived the volcano_

Elle raised a brow, peering closer at the photo. The younger boy, smiling just as wide as his brother, was gazing down at the floor mid-bounce. Nothing was on the floor, though. As far as she could tell from the shot, it was nothing but a rug. Something in the back of her mind caused her to think that something happened, though. Something that the camera couldn't capture.

As James grew more desperate and the Bogeyman grew more frustrated, Elle tucked her towel securely in place, sliding down from the table to stand atop the tar, walking calmly to stand behind the monster. "Hey. You."She looked to James, who stared back in amazement. "It's okay. You can get up."

"What the-"James reached for the wall, trying in vain to find a hand hold. "What are you talking about? How are you doing that?"

Elle closed her hand tightly around the largest dial of the Bogeyman's helmet. "It's nothing to be afraid of."She placed her other hand on the dial, giving it a hard turn. As the helmet's halves fell to the floor, Bogey took in a deep, gasping breath as though he had surfaced from a deep dive. Elle gave his wet head a pat, smiling at James. "The floor is hot lava."


	32. Ch 32 Want, Need, Get

"Hurry up!"

"Shut up!"

Alessa glared back at Josh. "I'm not gonna tell you again! I'm in charge. I'm the oldest!" She grabbed his arm, yanking him along to keep in step with her on the foggy street.

Josh scowled, his steps quickening to keep pace with Alessa's yanking. This stupid girl was the last person he wanted to be stuck with. Why didn't dad take him with him? Why was mom gone? Why, why, _why_ was he stuck with _her_? It didn't take long, however, for a pair of lights to appear in the fog. Alessa stopped, pulling Josh behind her. The light swirled along the fine mist's curves as though the mist itself was the source of the light. The sound of an engine accompanied the lights, along with the sound of a car door opening and closing. The two breathed a sigh of relief. Wheeler stepped into view, looking over the two. "Everyone okay?" The two children nodded. "Good. Now c'mon, let's get going." The trio piled back into the car, setting off down the street.

Alessa stretched her neck, trying to see around the car's passenger seat to view the road. The back seat was protected from the front by a metal grate, giving the children a view of the world from the perspective of criminals. "So where are we going?"

"I called ahead to Brahams. They agreed to keep you two in protective custody while this mess is sorted out." Wheeler kept a slow pace on the road, careful of the fog hiding obstacles from him.

"What'd you tell 'em?"

He shrugged. "I don't really have to tell them much when I first call, but when we get there, I'll just tell them there was a major gas leak or something. You two were left at home alone, so I had to pick you up."

Alessa nodded, resting her head against her seat's window. The dismal grey town ambled past, sadly gazing back at her. Her mind wandered back to her own town, the decaying sights and haunting sounds of its streets. Where was everyone now? What were they doing? Was everyone okay? She frowned, the bridge of her nose wrinkling. Those stupid pyramid heads. They were probably so busy fighting each other that they didn't even think about her. What was the matter with them, anyways? Why were they so self-centered? She'd have to teach them both a lesson, that was for sure. She could see it now. Bogey and Red would be at each others' throats, trying in vain to kill each other. Suddenly, she would come up and yell at them both, telling them how stupid they were. Then they'd both get nosebleeds and fall over in seizures. That would teach them.

The sensation of her behind striking pavement brought Alessa out of her reverie, blinking and looking around. Fog surrounded her, bright white and opaque. She scrambled to her feet, turning around a few times. The car was gone, along with any trace of Josh or Wheeler. For all her disorientation, however, one fact remained clear in her mind. She knew where she was. What she didn't know, however, was how she had ended up where she was. With no idea what else she could do, she walked along the street, watching her surroundings as best she could.

* * *

><p>Groggy and dizzy, Bogey slowly began to rouse from his hazy unconscious state. As soon as he was aware he was on the ground, he pushed himself to sit up, rubbing his eyes and looking around. His eyes took their time adjusting to the bright light all around him, revealing little when his pupils finally tightened up. Wherever he was, he was on a street. On that street, though, was a corpse. He raised a brow as he realized who it was. He reached out, giving Red's dead arm a nudge. Cautiously, he gave it another. No, he must have been dead.<p>

Still, the fact that Red was dead bothered him. He knew the guy could take a hit, but that many bullet holes would have done him in for sure. Bogey shuddered. Now he knew for sure that they didn't have the protection of a script. That was usually the only thing that stood between them and death. With care, he pushed himself to his feet, checking around. Nearby was his helmet, but his knife was nowhere to be found. He reached down, picking up the metal contraption and holding it under his arm. What had even happened? He took another look at Red, laying helpless and dead on the pavement. A fire lit in Bogey's chest. He swiftly drew his foot back, kicking the dead man's side, drawing it back and kicking again and again. Bogey stomped his foot down. "HAH! YEAH! CAN'T DO SHIT NOW, CAN YOU?"

Looking around after his outburst, as though worried someone had seen it, he caught sight of something moving in the fog nearby. It was small and humanoid, seemingly looking all around itself. He squinted, stepping closer to get a better look. He recognized that height. Bogey took a step forward, about to give chase, but stopped. He looked back down at Red. Something just wasn't right...


	33. Ch 33 Cryptic Nonsense

"Where the hell is the next chapter?"

"And when will these bullet holes in me be patched up?"

Bogey and Red leaned on the water cooler behind the set, both releasing sighs. It had been weeks, maybe even months since the last chapter. What was the writer doing all this time? Why wasn't she working? Didn't she realize that they depended on her to live out their lives? Bogey scratched at his chest. "Maybe... Maybe she's not going to write any more of the story. Maybe she's tired of us."

"Don't say that."Red stuck his thumb into one of the bullet holes that riddled his body, compliments of his new least favorite person in the world. "She'll write more. She has to. She needs us."

"Does she, though?"Bogey straightened up from the cooler, his helmet under his arm. "I mean, let's face it, we're not exactly real."

"If we're not real, then how are we having a conversation about any of this? Dumbass..."

"All I'm saying is that she might not need us as much as we need her."

The two stood in silence a moment, considering the gravity of their situation. All of a sudden, Red grabbed hold of the water cooler and threw it to the floor. Bogey jumped. "What the hell was that for?"

"I dunno. It was getting quiet."

"Well, aside from washing the floor, what do you think we should do?"

Red thought for a moment, then clapped his hands together. "I've got it! I know just the guy! Come on!"

Henry Townshend sat up in his bed at the beckoning screech of his alarm clock, his eyes still pressed shut against the morning sun pouring in through his window. After giving his eyes a few stiff rubs, he reached down to his clock, turning the alarm off. He slid right back down into bed after that, pulling the covers over his eyes. It was no use. He had to wake. With a muffled groan, he finally threw the covers off himself, swung his legs over the bed's side, and made his way to the kitchen.

Perhaps his nose was not yet interested in this whole being awake thing or perhaps something really was wrong. After so many strange happenings in his apartment, though, he hardly thought he could be surprised by anything he would find. The scent that met his nose was putrid, causing his skin to crawl. Henry looked around, checking each wall he could from a vantage point in the kitchen. No, there was not a group of infants built into his wall. No, his windows were not shuddering. No, the viewing hole in his door was not bleeding again. He turned his attention to the sink, finding it lacking of any blood spilling from the tap, and instead looked to the fridge. With a sigh, he pulled it open. For the third time this month, he found a skinned cat writhing on the bottom shelf.

"I went to the deli."

He didn't even have to look to know who spoke behind him. "That wasn't the deli. That was the pet store."

"Do you like it?"

"Walter, I'm not going to eat a cat. Put the poor thing out of its misery."

"You just have no taste."Walter stepped around Henry, picking the cat out of the refrigerator and stuffing it into his coat. "What else would you eat?"

"Actual food."

"Suit yourself."

At the sound of knocking at the door, Walter slunk back into the corner of the kitchen counter, wary to stay out of view. Henry stumbled his way over to the door, checking through the peephole before opening it. Frank Sunderland, his ever-watchful superintendent, leaned on the door frame. "Hey, Henry."

"Hey."Henry scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Sorry. I'll be late again this month."

"This is sort of a problem, Henry... I had to foot the bill for the repairs, remember?"

"Yeah..."

"And I've been giving you a lot of breaks."

"I know, I know."Walter peeked around the wall's corner, giving Frank a small wave. "It's been hard finding a job since I didn't really have a good explanation for taking those days off... People think I'm skipping out on them."

Frank gave Walter an appraising look, switching his aging gaze back to Henry. "If everything you've told me is true, then he's the last guy you need around. Get me the rent payment by the end of the month, then. After that, I'm afraid I can't afford to pay for your stay here anymore."

"Alright. Thanks, Frank."The men nodded to one another before Henry closed the door, looking back to Walter. "I guess that settles it. If I can't find a steady job to pay for this place, I have to leave."

Walter clung needily to the wall. "But... But mom!"

Henry sighed. "..I like living here, but... Look, you make it really difficult. Okay?"

"Eileen likes me."

"Eileen thinks you're still some scared little kid. She feels sorry for you."

Walter's brow furrowed. "You're just pissed off because she won't sleep with you."

"You went and killed the one woman who would,"Henry grumbled.

"I had to!"

"The hell you did."

"Well, the ritual worked. I'm with mom now."

The two turned to the door as another knock was heard. Henry checked the peephole, reeling back a few steps. "What the hell?"Walter stepped over to the door, checking as well. "What the hell are... those?"

Walter smiled, opening the door. Red threw his hands out, waiting for a hug. "Walter! Buddy! Pal!"

Walter met Red in a hug, patting the monster's back. "Finally! What took you so long?"

As Henry watched in confusion, Red pulled back. "Eh, you know. Busy with stuff. Did you see my music video?"

"Oh, yes, yes, it was very inspirational. I decided to have a little fun myself."The two snickered, bumping knuckles.

"Who the hell are these guys?"Henry looked from Red to Bogey, who hung back in the hallway, watching the scene while drumming his fingers on his unworn helmet. "What... Seriously, what the hell are they?"

"Come in! Come in! You need to meet my mother!"Walter ushered Red in, gesturing for Bogey to come in as well.

Henry lifted his hands, stepping in front of Walter. "But this is my apart-"

Walter shoved Henry aside into the hall leading to the bathroom. "Isn't she lovely?"

Red nodded with enthusiasm. "Yes, very lovely! I'm glad you finally get to be with her, Walter. Seriously. Fantastic."

Walter beamed. "Me too."He looked back to his guest. "So! How are things back in the old town? How's Valtiel? I haven't heard from him in ages."

"Oh, he's busy, you know. Downpour coming up and all."

"Downpour?"Henry raised a brow.

"Right, right."Walter nodded. "I've heard the guy looks like Henry."

"Who looks like me?"

"Yeah, sort of. Same Bieber hair."

Henry glared. "I don't have Bieber hair..."

Bogey grabbed hold of the vertex of Red's helmet. "I think we came here for a reason, Red..."

"Right, right."Red smacked Bogey's hand away, turning to Walter. "Look, buddy. We need some help getting somewhere important. Somewhere... Kind of separate from our own world."

"Separate?"Walter raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well..."

An explanation, several bewildered looks, and exactly fourteen "What the hell"s later, Walter had concocted a spell to send Red and Bogey to their destination. Henry, of course, was not pleased. Yet again, the wall of his bathroom was marred with paint and a gigantic round hole. It was even larger than the others that had previously burst into his apartment, its diameter widened to accomodate the travelers'bulky helmets. Bogey locked his into place, stretching a bit in preparation. The four piled into the tiny bathroom, Red setting his hands on the hole's rim. "Thanks a million, Walter. I really owe you."

"If you want, you could pay me back."

Red paused, his helmet slowly tilting down. "..Pay?"

"Henry, what's the rent?"

"Huh?"Henry blinked. "Oh. It's uh... Three fifty."

Walter nodded. "We need three fifty."

"Dollars?"

"Yes. Without that, I won't be able to stay with mom."

Red gave a thumbs-up. "Got it! We'll bring it back with us."Red waved, climbing into the hole.

Bogey peered in afterwards. "..It's safe, right?"

"Completely."

With a deep breath, Bogey slid in after Red, crawling behind. Henry and Walter stared after the pyramids. Henry glanced to Walter. "Think they'll actually bring back the rent money?"

"Don't worry. They'll get it."Walter shrugged. "If they don't, they're not coming back."

In just a few bars of experience, she would finally get her hunter to level 83. She would be that much closer to the current level cap of 85 and that much closer to not caring about the character until the next expansion pack. Jane smiled, leaning back in her chair. If a group would just be found, that would help immensely. She wasn't much of a fan of the Deepholm leveling zone, but Hyjal wasn't very fun the fourth time around, either. It just wasn't a good day for questing. As the LookingForGroup dungeon finder finally found a group, a loud sound behind her startled her from clicking the accept button. In the reflection of her room in her computer monitor, she saw two shapes fall from the ceiling, landing one after the other on her bed. Jane turned around in her chair, leaping to her feet after seeing who had dropped in to visit.

"Bogey, I know you want to be just like me, but let's not compare sizes right now."

Bogey gave Red a hard punch to the shoulder, pushing himself up from the other monster's back with a grunt. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, looking around the room. He stood up from the bed, spotting her quickly. "There you are."

"What the hell?"

Bogey lifted his hands in a calming gesture. "Don't worry. We're just..."At a strange snorting sound behind him, he turned. Red held a pillow against his helmet, taking in deep breaths of its scent. Bogey reached out, yanking his fellow pyramid off the bed. "This is why you don't have a girlfriend."

"Hey!"

Bogey turned back to Jane. "Anyways. We just need to talk to you about something."

Red yanked himself free of Bogey's grip, storming across the room. Jane backed up against her door, grabbing the doorknob, appearing quite terrified. "Listen. We're fucking bored. Write some more."

Jane blinked. "..Write?"She smiled. "Wait, so you're..."

"I'm Red. That's a poorly made copy of me. Now will you start writing?"

Bogey grabbed Red by the back of his helmet's rim, yanking him back. "Look, we're really sorry to drop in like this-"

"No, we're not."

"-but we get the impression that you're bored with the story. It's kind of upsetting."

Jane looked from Red to Bogey, raising a brow. "..You think I'm bored with it?"She shook her head. "Why do you think that?"

"Well, it's been a while..."

"And I'm currently supposed to be dead for whatever horrible reason!"

"..so we were wondering if you were going to keep going with it or not."

"Of course I am."She opened her door, stepping out into the living room. "Just been having a case of writer's block, that's all."

"Seriously?"Red growled. "We've been waiting weeks and that's all you have to say for yourself?"

"Well, I've been working..."

"Boo-hoo. I've been dead."

She rolled her eyes. "There's a plan to all that, you know."

"Really?"Red paused. "..Well? What is the plan?"

"Why would I tell you? It'd mess things up."

Red growled, grabbing the girl by her arm. "Damnit, do you know who you're dealing with? I want an answer and I want it now!"

Jane sighed. "Red, what are you upset about, really? Is it because it was Alex who got you?"

"Yes!"

"Didn't you kidnap his wife?"

"..Yes."

She looked at his hand, then back to his helmet. "I'm pretty sure you deserve to be dead for a few chapters. Now, if you don't let go, I won't introduce mannequins like I planned to."Red quickly released her arm. The girl smirked. "That's a good boy."

As Jane headed for the kitchen, Bogey followed after, leaving Red behind to his strange fit of sudden maniacal giggling. "So you're going to write more? When?"

"Whenever I figure out how I want to do it."She reached into a cupboard, picking out a glass and filling it with water from the sink. "It's been hard to figure out what direction to take. After action scenes, it just takes a while to decide how best to proceed."

Bogey looked around the kitchen, inspecting the magnets on the fridge door. "..So. What's in store?"

"Shenanigans."

He turned back to her. "Oh, come on. I need to know. What's gonna..."He paused, sighing. "Well. What's gonna happen to me?"

Jane took a sip of her water, looking up at him. "Sorry, but I don't really have an end for this story in mind. There's no final chapter planned or anything."

Bogey nodded, considering her words for a moment. "So it's more of an open-ended story. Then..."He shook his head. "I can't help but notice that everything seems to revolve around me. Why, though? Everyone likes Red more than me... Why didn't you just write a story about him?"

"Yeah, why not?"Red called from the living room.

She turned her head to the door. "Because I don't write pornography."Red grumbled with discontent. Jane looked back up at Bogey, smiling a bit. "You don't get it, though?"

"It seems like you just want to punish me or something..."

"Bogey, that's not it."She shook her head. "Look, you've gotten a lot of hate from a lot of people just by existing in the games. I personally thought you were great in them, but obviously not everyone is going to share that view."

"It still seems like you just want to watch me suffer."

"Why would I want my favorite character to be miserable?"

"I dunno."

"I don't. That's why."

"Then..."Bogey growled, stomping back to the living room. "Whatever. You're lying. Quit writing for all I care."

"What? But I want my mannequins!"Red shoved Bogey back into the kitchen, grabbing Jane by her shoulders. "You said you had mannequins planned!"

She lifted her hands in a shrug. "Sorry, Red. Bogey doesn't want to see Elle naked, so there's nothing I can do."

"What?"

"What?"Red whined. "But... Why don't I get naked girls..."

With a gentle push, Jane nudged Red away, heading back to her room. "Sorry. Hands are tied. No more story."

The two pyramids lingered in the kitchen, stunned. Red quickly turned to Bogey, decking the taller monster. "You idiot! You're gonna ruin everything!"

"Fuck off! I didn't know!"

"Quit being such a depressed little shit!"

Bogey shoved Red away. "Quit thinking with your dick."

The two hurried back to the girl's room, crowding behind her chair. On the screen, a floppy-eared male elf ran around a city on a strange, glowing dragon. Red nudged her shoulder. "Gonna write?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I just don't have any good ideas right now."

"Mannequins sound like a good idea."

"Heh, I know. I figured you'd like that."

"But you're not writing it out."

"I need to do a chapter about Alessa and Josh first. They need to come back into play somehow, so I need to figure that out first."

"Who cares?"

"Hey."Bogey gave Red a shove. "I care."

"That's because you're a pussy."

"Red, be nice."

Red growled, resting his helmet on the chair's headrest. Jane shook her head. "If it's not my cat hogging my chair, it'll be you guys. Go figure."

"Start writing."

"I want to level my hunter first."

"You'd rather play that game than give me my mannequins?"

"Red, dear, that would be a really uncomfortable scene to write and it would take some figuring-out. I don't want this story to turn R-rated."

Bogey tilted his head, leaning on the door frame. "..But it's okay to stab children?"

"That was a dream sequence. It didn't actually happen."

"Or to say 'fuck'nonstop?"Red poked her shoulder. "See? I'll do it now. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck."

She shrugged. "It's just a word."

"What about when Alex shot me?"

"That was in a humorous context."

"So was that scene in that one movie where the guy sticks his dick into a hot apple pie."

Jane rolled her eyes. "How do you even know about that?"

"What was it called?"

"Alright, enough."Jane got up from her seat, pushing the wheeled chair back against Red. "Both of you are giving me a headache."She left the room, her entourage following after.

"Where ya going? This isn't the way to your computer."

"Kind of hungry."

"Normally, I'd commend a woman for heading to the kitchen, but-"

"Red, do you like your gender? I think I might change you into a woman in the next chapter."

"Wait!"Red grabbed hold of her wrists, stopping her. "Wait. We'll get you something. You just sit down!"He led her over to the couch, gesturing for her to sit. "Here we go. Nice and relaxed."As Jane looked up at the two curiously, Red headed off for the kitchen. "We'll make you something!"

"That's... Really not necessary."She hated to think what a couple of monsters would cook for her. "Really, I was just gonna have some ramen or something."

"Bogey!"Bogey looked from the couch to the kitchen. "You heard the bit- ...The nice lady! She wants ramen!"With a sigh, Bogey trudged off to the kitchen as well.

Jane pulled her phone from her pocket, preparing a message for Twitter. As the two tromped about in the kitchen, they muttered to one another, sounding quite bothered. Bogey poked his head out from the kitchen. "Where's the ramen?"

"Pantry near the bathroom door."

"Thanks."He retreated, paused a moment, then looked back into the living room. "And the pans?"

"Bottom drawer of the cabinet by the door."

"Ah. Of course."He retreated again, the sounds of metal saucepans scraping together following afterwards. Jane continued with her message, typing on her phone's keyboard.

_got 2 monsters cooking me lunch right now. kinda weirded out but a meals a meal._

After the clattering of pans and the crinkling of plastic wrap had subsided, the kitchen fell into a strange silence. Jane clicked her phone shut, slid it into her pocket, and stepped over to the doorway, checking to see what was going on. The two stood in front of the stove, staring at the range dials. A small saucepan was sitting on top of the range, apparently ready for cooking, but as of yet no flame had been lit. Red nudged one of the dials cautiously, lowering his hand as it refused to move. Jane stepped in between the two, giving the proper dial a push inward, lighting the flame, then turned it to the proper level of heat. The two pyramids nodded slowly. "Ohh...""Yeah.""I guess that works, huh...""Valtiel's way better at this dial stuff..."

"So do you guys actually know how to make ramen?"

"Not really."

"No."

She nodded, picking a pair of tongs from the utensil drawer. "Alright. It's really easy. It's just pasta."She flipped the block of freeze-dried noodles over in the saucepan of water, nudging it a bit. "You soak it in hot water, then when it's soft, you drain the water, add the flavoring, mix it up, and eat it."

After the ramen had cooked, Red took it upon himself to mix the seasoning into the noodles. Unfortunately, his lack of proper fingers prevented him from doing so, so Bogey instead took it upon himself to finish the food's preparation. Afterwards, it was back to her room to sit down and eat at the computer. Red and Bogey sat on the bed, both waiting anxiously to hear the verdict regarding the food. Jane picked up a tangle of noodles, watching the two monsters. She raised her brow. "Hm?"

Bogey tapped his fingers on his knees. "Well?"

"Best noodles you've ever had, right?"

She nodded, swallowing. "Yep. Good stuff. Lot of sodium, but eh. Seventy four cents a pack. Can't beat that."

Red twiddled his thumbs, sighing heavily. Bogey leaned forward. "Good enough to make you want to write?"

"I'll think of something."

"When?"Red leapt to his feet, hands curled into fists at his sides. "When the hell are you gonna keep going? When do we get our turn for your attention?"

She raised a brow, waiting.

"I mean, fuck! I get shot, I get thrown into prison, I get a fucking knife in my pant leg, nurses cutting me to bits... When the hell are you gonna give me something good?"He stomped his foot down on the wooden floor. "Damnit, do you know what's happening to me? I'm... I'm..."He patted his hands over himself as if to make sure he was still the same shape as before. "Dear god, I'm becoming sexually repressed! This isn't good for me! I'll turn into James or something!"

Jane set her chopsticks down in the bowl, opening a new browser tab. "Hold that thought."

"What are you doing?"

Her fingers struck the keyboard like a skilled pianist, typing an address and finishing with the enter key. "I've been meaning to look something up."The two watched from behind her chair, waiting as she typed more into yet another field of text.

"Are you writing?"

"Red, shut the hell up."Her eyes traced over lines of text on the screen, brows raising. "Huh. Well, that's certainly inspiring."

"What? What is?"Red zipped over to gawk at the screen at the girl's side.

"This should work well. I can certainly picture Wheeler talking about that..."

"About what?"Bogey stood up, stepping up behind the chair to check the screen as well. As the two pyramids attempted to decipher the words, the window suddenly zipped down to the bottom of the screen, out of sight.

"Nothing. Now, you two need to head back to where you came from. I can't write with you guys here, now can I? That wouldn't work."She stood up from her chair, using the chair to push them towards her bed. "So now it's time to climb back up into that... Well, that hole, and be on your way."

"Wait."Bogey held the chair still. "We still need one more thing. This idiot made a promise."

"A promise?"

Red grumbled. "Walter needs his three-fifty."

"..He needs three-fifty what?"

"Dollars."

"For?"

"Rent."

"..So he needs three hundred fifty?"

The two pyramids nodded in unison.

"Red, you need to make fewer deadbeat friends."She sighed. "It's taken care of, though. Just get back in the hole."

"But-"

"No buts. Get going. This is already a ridiculously long visit as it is."

"But we can't reach it."

Jane sighed, stepping around her chair to stand on her bed below the hole. She cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting. "HEY!"

From inside the echoing cavern of concrete, wood, and insulation, a male voice replied "Yes?"

"I've got two pyramids ready to go."She stepped off the bed, gesturing for the two to get on it instead. Obediently, if not questioningly, they complied.

Bogey shook his head. "I still don't get what-"He jumped as Red suddenly flew up into the hole as though a gigantic vacuum waited on the other side. He flinched, waiting for himself to get sucked up as well. When he didn't, he looked back to Jane. "..What's going on?"

Jane grinned wide, closing her door, making sure it latched properly.

With all the grace and mercy of a prison rape, Red flew out of the hole, flipped in midair, and slammed into the wall, the apex of his helmet piercing the wall. Henry cursed under his breath, covering his face with his hands.

Walter smiled wide. "Red! Welcome back. Care for some cat?"As Red began smacking the wall in an effort to free his helmet, Walter wrapped his arms around the monster's waist, helping yank the helmeted man out. The two stumbled backwards, striking the back wall and landing one on top of the other.

"Ugh..."Red held his metal head, trying to make the room stop spinning. "What... What happened..."

"You're back. That's what. Now where's-"

A loud tumbling noise boomed from the hole, metal and flesh striking concrete again and again. Closer and closer it came until finally Bogeyman shot out, striking the wall opposite of the hole. His helmet tumbled after him, knocking him hard on his head. As soon as the angular projectile left the hole, the opening closed up, the wall back to its previous smoothness. Bogey took a moment to collect himself before rolling onto his back. Henry, Walter, and Red all stared at him. He looked from person to person. "..Don't. Just don't."

"You've got a little something on you, there,"Henry helpfully pointed out, pointing to Bogey's chest. And face. And arms. And down to the waistline of his kilt.

Red shot to his feet. "Are you KIDDING ME?"

Bogey sighed, trying desperately to wipe off the many lipstick prints on his skin. "Shut up."

With a loud crash, the four looked back to the wall, realizing a small hole had opened up in it. Out drifted an envelope, another lipstick kiss print on its front face. Walter snatched the envelope out of the air as the hole shrank shut again, opening it to reveal four slips of stiff paper money. One bore the face of Ulysses S. Grant. The other three wore the smug visage of Benjamin Franklin.


	34. Ch 34 Into Below

"I still don't get why I should care." Red hurried along as best he could, still wincing from all the kicking to his ribs.

"Y'know, I don't think you quite get how important she is."

"Not like she meant anything in my game."

"Well, she didn't in mine either, but-"

"Yeah, well yours sucked. End of story."

Bogey groaned, grabbing Red by the rim of his helmet to yank him along and keep up. He wasn't his ideal teammate, but he would just have to do. No matter how much they hurried, the small figure continued to run away, pattering footsteps keeping their senses tuned to the figure's location. "Wait up!"

"If this turns out to be a grey child, I'll laugh when your dick gets chewed off."

Bogey grumbled, continuing into the fog after the figure. Slow and steady, the air raid siren pierced the fog, reverberating in the metal helmets. The pavement shifted and rearranged below their feet, taking the form of metal plates and grates above nothing but a dark abyss. The fog turned black, closing in even more heavily around them.

"Put your helmet on, idiot."

Bogey winced. "Do I have to?"

"I'm not fucking with you, Bogey." Red grabbed the man by his wrist, yanking him back to stop. "Put it on. Otherwise, you're fucked."

With a heavy sigh, Bogey nodded, splitting his helmet and lifting it to the sides of his head. "...Alright. But I might try to kill you."

As the darkness set in fully, Red snapped his fingers. "Hurry up!"

"Okay, okay!" Hurried, Bogey quickly shut the helmet onto his head, groaning in pain. As the strange sensation once again washed over him, Red swiftly grabbed hold of the other monster's helmet, twisting him to the ground. Strangely, the sensation stopped. "...Thanks."

Red nodded, yanking him back up to his feet. "Y'know what you turn into when you have it on? You turn into a violent idiot. You look like a dumbass when you fight, by the way."

"Uh-huh..." Bogey snorted. Apparently he had beaten Red rather soundly.

The two pyramids looked around, searching for the figure in the enveloping darkness. Red sniffed the air, leaning this way and that to sniff out their target. Bogey watched and listened his comrade, mimicking him with some sniffs of his own. He wasn't sure what Red was able to hone in on, but he didn't seem to be able to pick up on any of it. Red yanked the point of Bogey's helmet towards the direction he stared towards. "Smell that?"

Bogey sniffed. "No."

"That's what girls smell like."

"...Fascinating."

"I know, but this isn't the time for that sort of thing. I think I know what's going on." Red reached out, feeling through the air in front of them. With a few strides, they reached a solid metal door, hanging ajar just a crack. "See? Piece of cake. With a girl inside."

"She isn't even eighteen-"

"Doesn't matter." With a yank, Red opened the door, allowing the metal sheet to bounce against the wall upon which it was attached. "Go ahead."

Bogey craned his neck as best he could with his helmet weighing him down. There were stairs. The only indication of them was the echo he heard of the air traveling through the stairwell. He shook his head, backing up a step."Can't see where I'm going."

"Get going, Nancy!" With a smack to the back, Red shoved Bogey in, sending him tumbling down the stairs. The silence of the area was interrupted by what sounded like several oil barrels being thrown down the stairs at once, suddenly subsiding as Bogey finally reached the bottom. Red nodded in satisfaction. "...I missed doing that."


End file.
